


Wide Eyes, Blind Love

by PrincessLaLa



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Angst, Blind!Yusuke, Canon Divergence, Friends to Lovers, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Living Together, M/M, Rating probably will go up, Some spoilers in the super-later chapters but I'll put a warning when i publish them, the phantom thieves are a supportive bunch of friends, thief codenames used in the dungeons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-17
Updated: 2017-02-03
Packaged: 2018-08-22 23:50:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 46,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8305885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrincessLaLa/pseuds/PrincessLaLa
Summary: Title inspired by the title of the Passenger Album; A story that looks into Yusuke's life as he deals with and heals from the aftermath of a Mementos training accident from which he lost his eyesight, following as he learns to cope with his blindness while he deals with his growing feelings for Akira.A/N: ON HIATUS UNTIL APRIL/MAY DUE TO THE AUTHOR'S WISHES TO STAY VISUALLY UNSPOILED ON CERTAIN PLOT POINTS IN-GAME





	1. The Accident

**Author's Note:**

> Full disclaimer:  
> I’m not actually blind, nor do I know anybody who is blind. I have done some research before I started writing this so I can write this as respectfully and as accurately as possible but I also know that sometimes there can be gaps or inaccuracies in research therefore if anyone notices an inaccuracy or something that is uninformed or could potentially be offensive, I strongly advise you please *calmly* tell me and let me know so I can make some corrections. 
> 
> Other than that, please feel free to enjoy this newest fic. It's kind of been a personal project of mine and it's kind of become something near and dear to my heart so I'm really excited to let it see the light of day.
> 
> On a side note, there is a depiction of a panic attack in this fic. If you wish to avoid it, it starts from "He could Barely register the choked sobs" and ends right after "through the brain fog."
> 
> EDIT: I updated this with Futaba's English thief codename!

It all had started out as just another training day in the Mementos dungeon. The team had been keeping up a fairly good streak of being undefeated by demons and had reached a new depth of the dungeon that had been previously unexplored. Team morale was still high, but as a result of fighting so many demons in a row, the overall strength and energy wasn’t at the same level as morale was.

It was as such that Fox, Joker, and the others found themselves facing the strongest Mementos demons yet and as a result, fighting a long an arduous battle against them after mistakenly believing that they could take them on in their current state.

“Hey! Panther! Cover for me!” Fox heard Skull shout to Panther as he ran into the fray to get close enough to whack one of the demons with his bludgeon. Skull’s efforts went in vain as the demon he chased quickly evaded his attack and swiped at him, causing him to be thrown backward into his previous position.

“Be Careful!” He heard Joker shout. “We don’t know yet what these enemies’ weaknesses are. Proceed with caution!”

"LOOK OUT!" He heard Oracle say as two of the demons readied their attacks and fired two darkness and light energy blasts. Fox turned his head to see the direction they were aimed and felt dread settle in his stomach as he saw they were both aimed at Joker. There was no way Joker would be able to survive BOTH blasts. He needed to do something fast...

"JOKER!" Fox shouted as he ran over to Joker's spot.

Instinct took over as Fox leapt into the line of fire, knocking Joker out of the way as he took the two energy blasts simultaneously, the force knocking him backwards and hitting him against the wall of the dungeon. Fox's world instantly went black as he passed out on impact.

~~~~~

"FOX!" Joker shouted, quickly but distractedly shooting at one of the enemies that blasted his teammate back, eliminating it in a puff of smoke.

"FOX HAS BEEN KNOCKED UNCONSCIOUS!" Joker heard Oracle say. "He's rapidly losing energy. His readings are getting fainter by the minute!"

Joker fired his pistol once more at the remaining demon as Noir and Queen summoned their personas to cast their elemental attacks, their combined efforts finishing it off before he bolted to Fox's side, kneeling down as he reached him and gently taking his wrist to feel for a pulse. An energy blast as strong and powerful as the ones Fox took were enough kill a person without even considering the kinds of elements they were. It would take a miracle for him to have survived the both of them. Much to his relief, Joker felt a faint beating sensation from beneath his fingertips. He sighed before looking up, the urgency of the situation setting in.

"He's alive but I need someone to heal him!" He yelled.

Mona quickly summoned Zorro to perform a Dia spell. A blue glow settled around Fox as the  spell worked its healing magic.

Joker cradled Fox in his arms as he checked for any more signs of injury. As he gently lifted Fox's head off the ground, he noticed the blood pooling around his feet. Joker quickly pulled his hand out of Fox's hair as he saw his red gloves stained with the deeper shade of blood, the healing spell evidently not having been as effective as he had hoped. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Skull kneel down next to him and undo his ascot and hand it over. Joker graciously took the piece of fabric from his friend and quickly tied it around Fox's head to stem the bleeding.

"We need to get him out of here!" Joker shouted, finishing up the knot and gently picking up Fox as he stood up. He fished a Go-hom from his pocket and activated it.

Once out of the dungeon Akira and the others wasted no time to get to the clinic.

"Please be okay. Please be okay Yusuke." Akira muttered, gently but firmly holding the other boy's thin frame close to him like a lifeline as he tried not to panic. He was almost there, if Yusuke can just hold on a little bit longer…

"TAE-SAN PLEASE HELP!" Akira practically shouted as he burst through the door, leaving the others running behind to catch up.

Tae looked up from her clipboard in alarm and saw the bleeding boy in Akira's arms.

"What happened?" She asked in concern as she quickly stood up and showed Akira to a cot where he gently set Yusuke down.

Akira shook his head. "It would take me too long to explain but he hit his head really hard and he bled a lot."

Tae knelt down and gently took Yusuke's pulse. "It's faint." She said looking up. "But I think he'll be okay if we work quickly." She gently unwrapped the cloth around his head and grabbed some supplies from the shelf next to her and got to work healing and patching up Yusuke. Akira pulled up a chair next to the cot and collapsed into it as the rest of his teammates finally piled into the tiny room. He felt the exhaustion hit him but he willed himself to stay awake just to be sure of Yusuke's recovery.

~~~~~

The first thing Yusuke noticed when he gained consciousness was the fact that his head was throbbing to excruciatingly painful extents. He could barely remember much except he took a couple energy blasts back in Mementos. Guessing from the fact that he was lying down flat on something lightly padded, he guessed he was lying down on a cot somewhere; in a clinic most likely.

The second thing he noticed was the hushed whispers coming from his teammates followed by a silence as he stirred and tried to sit up, his head and sore muscles practically screaming in pain as he did, but he forced himself to do so anyway; all the while not wanting to open his eyes and be greeted by the inevitable painful stinging brightness of artificial lights.   

The third thing he noticed was that instead of being greeted by harsh blinding lights upon opening his eyes, instead he saw total darkness. Yusuke blinked a couple times in confusion as he rubbed at his eyes, still groggy from slowly emerging into consciousness. Something was odd. Was there something wrong with the lights in the clinic?

"Yusuke you’re finally awake!" He heard Akira's voice exclaim. "You took such a big hit back there. Are you feeling okay?"

Yusuke forcibly widened his eyes and blinked twice more, slowly, then quickly, before turning his head around towards the source of Akira's voice.

"I feel sore all over but I think that will pass." He said. "But Akira, can you please tell me why all the lights in the clinic are turned off? Was there a power outage? It's really dark in here."

From somewhere in front of him, Yusuke heard a small gasp from Haru.

For what could quite possibly be the longest moment, there was a silence in the room, the kind that was filled with a nervous, almost scared kind of tension.

Yusuke finally heard Akira gulp. "Ummm... Yusuke? Are you sure everything is okay? The lights are on you know." He heard him ask, the nervousness evident in his voice.

A heavy sense of dread and disbelief settled over Yusuke. "What are you talking about? It's pitch black!" Yusuke exclaimed, quickly trying to get up and move but only to be met with the force of someone's hand pushing him back.

"If you'll allow me," he heard an older woman's voice say. "I'm going to need to shine a light into your eye."

Yusuke then felt a cold hand on his face as the nurse, who must have been Tae if his memory serves correctly from the few visits he made to the clinic, held open one of his eyes as he heard a click of a pen light and the heat from the bulb close to his face.

"Can you see anything? The light is on now." He heard Tae say.

Yusuke shook his head, feeling the pit in his stomach grow. "I can't see anything." He said.

Tae took her hand off of his face as he heard her click the pen light off. "It's just as I feared." He heard her say. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I am certain that the force of the impact on your head has caused you to go blind."

Yusuke felt his eyes widen in shock and disbelief as the dread and nervousness that had taken ahold of his heart transformed into full-blown disbelief and panic. He could barely register the sound of choked sobs and disbelieving mutterings of "No" coming from Haru and a couple of his other teammates as he felt like his whole world felt like it was shrouded by a thick fog that clouded his remaining senses.

"NO! Y-YOU'RE WRONG. YOU’VE GOT TO KNOW HOW TO FIX THIS! THIS IS WRONG TELL ME THIS ISN'T TRUE!" Yusuke screamed, feeling the tears spill out of his eyes as he touched his face with trembling hands, trying to feel around his eyes as he did. Yusuke could feel his throat almost seem to close up as his whole body began to shake. This couldn't be true. He's probably in a really bad dream that maybe he could wake up from. He harshly slapped his own face, only to feel the very real sting of the impact on his skin.

The reality of the situation only served to make Yusuke feel worse as he brought his knees up to his chest and sobbed, feeling what felt like a flood of fat, hot tears spill from his now sightless eyes in torrents as he could feel himself barely able to breathe amongst all his choked sobs and wails.

Yusuke felt a hand reach out to touch his shoulder, but the sudden unexpected (albeit gentle) contact scared him enough to recoil in fear. The hand instantly pulled back as he heard Akira’s voice repeatedly say “I’m sorry” through the brain fog. Even through the brain fog, he could faintly hear Makoto and Haru crying while he heard someone, likely Ryuji, punch a wall in what was undoubtedly anger.

Yusuke continued crying until his eyes couldn’t physically produce any tears and he was choking out dry and pained sobs. His throat felt sore and parched and he could feel the rest of his body practically crying in pain from all his physical exertion on it but he didn’t care. Absolutely none of the pain he felt from that could compare to what he felt about the loss of his eyesight. His whole world, which revolved around his sense of sight, was now all of a sudden gone. What on earth was he going to do without it? He didn’t know and as he felt drowsiness set in from the emotional impact of his panic attack subsiding, he didn’t have much of a chance to even make much sense of anything as he unwittingly dozed off, finally in some way finding some brief reprieve from everything that happened that day.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Akira takes care of Yusuke and Yusuke's worst fear is Officially and Medically Confirmed.

When Yusuke woke up, his immediate desire was to go back to sleep. The darkness that greeted his eyes served only as a harsh reminder of the reality of the previous day's events and it stung like a harsh slap to the face. Still, he forced himself to sit up.

"Whoa, take it easy." He heard Akira say as he felt a pair of hands place themselves on his shoulders and gently stabilize him before being propped against a bunch of pillows.

That was strange. The cot at the clinic only had one pillow. If he wasn't at the clinic, where was he?

As if he read his mind, Akira sat down next to Yusuke and gently felt his forehead. "I hope you don't mind that we're at my place." He heard Akira say. "I carried you back here after you passed out at the clinic because you weren't in any condition to be brought back to the Kousei dorms and left alone there." He explained.

Yusuke nodded and yawned, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "How long was I out for?" He asked. "Also what time is it?" He continued, realizing the bigger part of the question.

"Its five in the morning. You slept for 12 hours straight. I was starting to get a little worried that you wouldn't wake up." Akira said, chuckling in relief, the exhaustion suddenly becoming very apparent in his voice.

Yusuke felt a pang of guilt as he realized that Akira must have stayed up all night just to watch over him.

"I'm sorry I made you worry." He said, turning to face Akira as he sank back into the pillows. "You shouldn't have stayed up all night just to look after me."

Akira laughed softly, only to have that chuckle be taken over by a yawn. “It’s no big deal.” He said, getting up from the bed. “It’s the least I could do.” He paused. “Do you want some water? You haven't had anything to drink since before the accident.”

Yusuke nodded, suddenly noticing how his throat felt like sandpaper. “Yes please actually. If it’s not too much trouble.” He said.

"Wait right here." Akira instructed him. "I'll be right back with some water."

As he heard Akira's footsteps head towards the door and go downstairs, Yusuke brought his knees up to his chest and hugged them close. Now alone with nobody to distract him, Yusuke suddenly felt overwhelmed by all his emotions as the sheer reality of the situation started to sink in. His heart felt like it was breaking again as he felt the tears prick at his eyes.

Yusuke heard Akira's footsteps rapidly get closer to him and the sound of a glass being set down next to the bed before he felt Akira wrap his arms around him and pull him close in a tight hug. Yusuke cried into Akira's shoulder as the tears started freely flowing down his face and the sobs shook his body.

"I c-can't believe it's j-just gone." Yusuke choked out in between sobs. "Everything is all dark and it's terrifying."

Yusuke felt Akira tighten his embrace around him. " I know. I'm sorry. I just wish I could do more to help." Akira said softly.

Yusuke rubbed his eyes against Akira's shoulder as he tried to take deep breaths to calm down. "Isn't there anyone we can see about this? I mean, there's doctors now who can do things like fix blindness with surgery. Surely that's possible right?" Yusuke said, trying to rationalize his possibilities in an attempt to keep from having another meltdown.

Akira sighed. "I honestly hope so." He said. "Haru scheduled an appointment with her family's ophthalmologist tomorrow for you so we can see what we can do. I honestly hope he can do something since she says he's one of the best doctors in the country."

Yusuke nodded, grateful to both Akira and Haru at that moment. "I'm glad you're both thinking of me." He said, yawning as he did. He felt his eyelids grow heavy and keeping his eyes open was starting to become harder by the minute.

Akira patted Yusuke's back as he reached down next to the bed and grabbed the glass. "You should drink up. And then you should get some more sleep." He said, yawning as he did. "The last 24 hours have taken a lot out of us."

Yusuke did as he was told and laid down, pulling the blankets around him as he did so.

"Goodnight Akira." He whispered.

"Goodnight Yusuke." Akira responded as he heard the click of the bedside light being turned off.

~~~~~

The next day came quickly as Yusuke ended up sleeping most of the previous day away. At noon that day, Haru came to the cafe to meet up with Yusuke, Akira, and Morgana and take them to the appointment.

"I have my full faith in Dr. Watanabe." Haru said optimistically as she linked her arm through Yusuke's and started guiding him in the direction of the street, where she had hailed a taxi that would take them to the doctor's. "He's been taking care of my family for years."

"I hope he can do something to help." Yusuke said as he slowly got into the cab with Akira's help.

"I'm sure he will." Haru said before she stated her directions to the taxi driver and in nearly no time it seemed, the Cab pulled up at its destination.

"Thank you!" Haru said as she tipped the driver. She helped pull Yusuke out of his seat before she and Akira linked arms with him to stabilize and guide him in the right direction of the clinic as they stepped in.

~~~~~

"Hello! I'm Dr. Keito Watanabe. You must be Yusuke." Yusuke heard an older man's voice say as they stepped into the clinic.

Yusuke bowed in response. "It's nice to meet you." He said as he stood straight again.

Dr. Watanabe took Yusuke's hand in a firm handshake, as if to acknowledge Yusuke's gesture before he placed his arm around Yusuke's shoulder and guided him to a room, Akira and Haru following along as he did.

"Miss Haru told me that you lost your eyesight in a head trauma accident." He said as he sat Yusuke down on the cot. "Could you care to explain to me what happened?"

Yusuke paused, unsure of how much of the truth he should tell the doctor, partially because he didn't want to blow his, or more realistically at this point, his teammates' cover, and partially because he realized the story sounded just flat put too strange to believe. He decided to go with a more believable lie.

"I accidentally tripped and fell down a flight of stairs." He said. "I ended up hitting my head on the floor hard enough that I started to bleed." He said, reaching his hand back to touch the spot where Tae had given him a couple stitches to stop the bleeding. "And when I came to, everything was pitch black."

"I see." Yusuke heard Dr. Watanabe respond as he picked up a clipboard and an object from the tray next to him. "What we're going to do next then, is run a series of diagnostic Tests on you to see how much of your remaining eyesight you have left so we can plan our course of action. If you'll please turn your head to face me..."

~~~~~

"I'm sorry." Dr. Watanabe said as Yusuke heard a clipboard being gently placed on the counter next to him after a very long series of diagnostic tests. "But your test results read that you've lost 100% of your eyesight. At this point all we can really do is focus on learning how to manage and cope with it."

Yusuke felt his heart sink as his last hope got dashed. He instantly felt the tears well up in his eyes again as he tried his hardest not to let them escape. Yusuke felt Akira take his hand and squeeze it comfortingly.

"This is some kind of cruel joke." Yusuke whispered as he felt some of the tears run down his face in denial. "This has to be."

"Isn't there something you can do?" Akira asked desperately.

"Even if there were a corrective procedure for eyesight loss due to head trauma, it wouldn't work. His eyesight is gone." Dr. Watanabe said firmly, although with a noticeable hint of regret creeping into his voice.

"So where do we go from here?" Yusuke heard Haru say coolly, her voice equal parts ice and concern.

"At this point all I can really do is prescribe him his dark glasses and his mobility cane and suggest he sign up for tenji lessons." Dr. Watanabe replied as Yusuke heard a scribbling sound on a notepad followed by the tearing of paper. "If you give this to any pharmacy, they'll know what to give you in terms of glasses and canes." He said to Yusuke as he handed the paper over to him. He feebly patted Yusuke's back as he walked toward the door and opened it.

"I'm not going to tell you to cheer up." He said. "And I'm not going to tell you that it'll get easier right away but trust me, life is still worth living even without eyesight." He continued before he stepped out and closed the door behind him.

Yusuke managed to hold everything together until he had stepped outside the doctor's office before he found himself crying hard again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the chapter delay everyone! Midterms and Halloween prep and hype for my entry into the Atlus Official Cosplay contest has really been kicking my butt (in reference to the former) and eating my time (in reference to the latter two). That being said, now that most things are our of the way, I'm hoping to make this fic my NaNoWriMo project this year (as well as publish the happy, fluffy, cute AU fic I've been writing in tandem with this one to keep myself sane and keep myself from becoming cold and heartless through these more angsty chapters so keep an eye out for that fic as well because I May start publishing it at the same time as this one!)
> 
> Also, side note to those who were wondering what is "Tenji" that the doctor mentioned, it's basically Japanese Braille! We'll delve a little bit more into it in future chapters but if you want to learn more right now, check this out: 
> 
> www.accessible-japan.com/understanding-japanese-braille/amp/


	3. Chapter 3

After the disappointment that was the doctor's appointment, Yusuke didn't want to wake up for school the next day. Although Akira had been kind enough to take care of him and let him stay with him for the rest of the weekend, Yusuke knew he couldn't do that forever and it was so that he found himself on Monday morning getting ready to go to school with the help of Akira and Morgana.

"Akira this is insulting!" Yusuke heard Morgana complain. He heard the rip of Velcro separating as Akira tried to fit a leash backpack on the protesting cat. "I refuse to wear it!"

"Don't you want to help Yusuke?" Akira asked as Yusuke then heard the click of a leash clipping itself to Morgana's collar.

"I do, but not like this!" Came more yowls and protests from Morgana.

"Well, our only other option then until Yusuke gets the hang of using his mobility cane would be to find a seeing-eye dog." Akira responded, his tone half-joking, and half-serious. "And you don't want your spot on the team to be replaced by a DOG do you?"

"NO OF COURSE NOT!" Morgana practically screeched. "I don't want some mangy mutt taking my place! What are you waiting for, put the backpack on!"

"There we go." Akira chuckled as he fastened the leash backpack onto Morgana and handed the leash over to Yusuke.

"I hope they don't give you any trouble." Akira told Yusuke. "I know you know this but Morgana likes to keep quiet but then again they've always been in my bag whenever I went out in public."

Yusuke nodded. "Would the school really be alright with me bringing Morgana though? I mean they are an animal after all."

"I'M LITERALLY RIGHT HERE!" Yusuke heard Morgana yell in indignation.

Akira laughed. "I mean, I did that all the time but I never got caught. I guess it's a good thing then that Haru had Dr. Watanabe call ahead to Kousei and let them know what happened. It'd be practically illegal if they didn't let you bring a guide animal." He replied, seeming to pay no mind to Morgana's outburst.

Yusuke sighed in relief. "You are right." He said. "That should probably be the least of my worries."

"Do you have your cane?" Akira asked. "I can help you unfold it once we get there."

Yusuke nodded as he reached behind him and patted his backpack to double-check it was there. "Yes I do." He said.

"Then come on, otherwise we're going to be late." Akira said, eagerly taking Yusuke by the wrist of his free hand and leading him out the door of the cafe, Morgana walking behind them on the leash. "I'll walk with you as far as to the train station since our trains leave from there anyway." He said.

Yusuke felt his face heat up at the contact, but he found himself turning his hand so that his and Akira's palms were touching before he laced their fingers together. For the briefest of moments, Yusuke felt Akira freeze and stiffen up before he relaxed and gently gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. They walked in a calm, comforting silence for a while, letting the noise of their surroundings take the place of conversation as they passed through traffic and the hustle and bustle of crowds.

It turned out that All the sounds and smells of the world around Yusuke was overwhelming, from the smell of car exhaust and dust, to the sound of chattering crowds and footsteps and tires rolling on the pavement. Without his sight, all the sensations he thought he had grown used to suddenly seemed almost too much for him and it was terrifying. He was grateful he had Akira's hand to keep him grounded while he held it.

Eventually, after being led onto an escalator that took them underground, Yusuke felt Akira let go of his hand. The sudden emptiness and lack of something to hold suddenly felt very disturbing to Yusuke.

"Why did you let go?" Yusuke asked, trying not to pout as he did. He had actually found holding Akira's hand to be rather comforting and wasn't quite ready to not do that anymore.

"We're at the station." Akira explained. "We're going to have to part ways here."

Yusuke frowned at that response. Akira laughed as Yusuke felt Akira reach over and straighten the collar of his shirt before moving around to take the cane out of his backpack and unfolding it with an audible "click" sound. "Don't worry too much." Akira said. "I'll buy you your ticket and Morgana can guide you from here. Just give me a call if something goes wrong, alright?"

"Thank you so much for everything, Akira." Yusuke said, grateful for all the help his friend had provided in the last 48 hours. He heard Akira walk over to the ticket booths.

"It's no problem." Akira said as he walked back and placed the ticket in Yusuke's hand and placing his free hand on Yusuke's shoulder. "I just want to make sure you're as comfortable as you can be what with everything that's happened. I'll see you later today, okay?"

Yusuke felt a faint blush rise to his cheeks as he briefly thought of how much kindness Akira had treated him with. "Okay." He said, bringing himself to smile slightly.

"I have to go." Akira said, removing his hand from Yusuke's shoulders and started walking away, the sound of his footsteps on the ground getting fainter. "Good luck! Get him there safely, Morgana!"

"I will, Akira!" Yusuke heard Morgana say. As soon as Morgana said that, they started walking, their pull on the leash guiding Yusuke in the direction he needed to go in.

"That was so gay." Yusuke heard the cat say.

"I do not know what you are talking about." Yusuke said indignantly, feeling his cheeks heat up as he tried to remove the thoughts regarding everything that happened in the last hour.

Morgana just huffed and continued guiding Yusuke to his train in silence.

~~~~~

As soon as Yusuke stepped through the doors at Kousei, he was greeted with a barrage of questions from Naoya.

"OH MY GOD YUSUKE WHAT HAPPENED???" Came the shocked response from his friend. "Is this why you didn't return any of my texts this weekend? Where were you? Is this permanent? Do you need someone to help you walk to class? Also you have a guide cat now? Where--"

Yusuke held up his hand to shush Naoya before he could be overwhelmed with any more questions. He could feel the piercing stares of his classmates turning their attention to him and at that moment he was feeling immensely uncomfortable and insecure. He moved and pulled Naoya aside.

"Let's go down the list." Yusuke said in a hushed whisper, touching the dark glasses on his face to make sure they were still there. "I hit my head in an accident and I lost my eyesight from the head trauma. The doctor said that I have no vision left, so it's likely permanent. I ended up spending the rest of the weekend at my friend's where he took care of me because I wasn't in any condition to be left alone at the Kousei dorms. He also loaned me his cat Morgana to be my guide until I can handle using my cane on my own." He paused. "Does that about cover it?"

"Yes." Was Naoya's reply. "But how are you handling it? Considering you're an artist and everything."

Yusuke gritted his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut. Naoya's question hit home in a way Yusuke still was not emotionally prepared for. He tried so hard to ignore that implication ever since the accident so as not to have a breakdown but he figured he couldn't avoid that reality for long.

"Sorry. I shouldn't have asked." Nagoya said, likely in response to Yusuke's expression. "Do you need help getting to class?" He asked, changing the subjext.

Yusuke briefly thought about it. "Yes. That would be much appreciated." He said. He felt Naoya place one hand on his arm and the other on his shoulder and walked him in the direction of their class.

As soon as Yusuke and Naoya reached their classroom, Yusuke was stopped by the teacher.

"There is no need for you to be here." The teacher said. "The principal told me he wants to speak to you."

Yusuke felt a fearful chill take hold of his heart in response to that news. "Should I go right now?" He asked.

"That would be advisable." The teacher said. "And Makigami-san, you may be allowed to go with him if you're going to act as his other guide."

Naoya gave a small bow. "Thank you Sensei."

With that, Naoya led Yusuke to the Principal's office. Once there, the Secretary made Naoya sit outside while Yusuke was shown into the Principal's office.

"Ah, Kitagawa-san. There you are. I've been meaning to talk to you. Please sit down. Your guide cat can take a seat too." The principal said.

Yusuke and Morgana did as they were told and sat down.

"Though it is obvious, I thought I'd reiterate once more. Recently it has come to my, and the school board's attention that you have lost your eyesight in a terrible accident. And this note from Dr. Watanabe says that you have lost 100% of your sight with little-to-no chance of recovering it. Is that correct?"

Yusuke nodded. "Unfortunately, it is." He said.

Yusuke heard a shuffling of papers as he heard the Principal sigh.

"This is not an easy thing to say." Yusuke heard the Principal continue. "But we are a school that relies on the tuition payments from its students in order to keep running. As you are enrolled in this school through an art scholarship, we cannot let it go to waste, so me and the rest of the board has decided to revoke yours and give it to another candidate."

Yusuke froze as he felt his heart plummet into his stomach. "WHAT???" He shouted. "Why didn't you consult me about this? I won't allow it! How am I supposed to continue going to school?" He asked.

"It was an executive decision and it's one that sadly, can't be negotiated. You are welcome to still attend but the tuition will be paid out-of- pocket along with any room and board expenses that come with living in the dorms; however, keep in mind our school does not have any resources to accommodate students with disabilities, so you won't be having any class materials given to you in Tenji or have a notetaker or aide."

Yusuke sat there in stunned disbelief that this was happening. Finally he spoke. "This is just sickening." He hissed. "My life has gone to shambles in the last three days and you just want to make things worse. You are cold and cruel and I hope something bad happens to you."

Yusuke got up from his chair and let Morgana lead him out before anything else could be said.

As soon as Yusuke stepped outside, he heard the scraping of chair legs against the floor, followed by the sound of the chair falling as Naoya practically lept out of his seat.

"What happened?" Naoya asked.

Yusuke shook his head and headed towards the door. Once he, Morgana, and Naoya were outside, Yusuke turned to Naoya.

"I was told not to come here anymore." He said bitterly.

"WHAT???" Came the shocked response from his friend. "Can they really do that?"

Yusuke shrugged and hung his head back in defeat. "I suppose they can." He said.

"That's not okay!" Naoya said. "What are you going to do about it?" He asked.

Shaking his head, and sitting down on the floor, Yusuke felt around in his pocket. "I don't think there's anything I CAN do." He said. "I'm just going to call a friend now."

He took out his phone and turned it on. The voiceover app that Akira had helped him install over the weekend immediately booted up with a loud chime. Yusuke hovered his finger over the phone's screen while the app read out everything that was on-screen back to him until he found the "Calls" widget. He pressed on it and dialed in Akira's number.

Akira picked up on the third ring. "Hey Yusuke." He said, his voice sounding like a welcome comfort to his ears. "What's up?"

"I'm sorry, Is this a bad time to call? You said to call you in case something goes wrong so I am." Yusuke said. He felt guilty about being distracting to Akira but he needed to be comforted.

"I was in class but I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and excused myself out to go to the bathroom." Yusuke heard Akira say. "Is everything okay? Are you hurt? Are you in danger?"

As soon as Akira asked, Yusuke felt the tears well up in his eyes again. "No." He said quietly. It was all be could muster before he started sobbing. He felt Naoya pat his back to try to comfort him.

There was a pause on the other end. Then Akira finally spoke. "What's happening? Yusuke please talk to me, I'm so worried."

"I g-got asked t-to leave the school." He said, taking deep, shaky breaths in an attempt to calm himself.

There was a pause on the other end of the line. "You mean like, they kicked you out?"

The sob Yusuke didn't even realize was holding back escaped from him as more tears streamed down his face. "Yes." He said.

"What. The. Hell." Akira said, his voice dripping with barely-contained rage. "Why the hell would they do that?"

Yusuke sniffled. "The principal said it was because of the fact that since I'm blind and I can't make art anymore, my art scholarship is in essence useless and I can't pay for my tuition or room and board without it. They also said they don't 'have the resources to accommodate for blind students' like tenji lessons or aides." He paused.

There was a long pause on the other end of the line, long enough to make Yusuke wonder if Akira had hung up on him. "Akira? Are you still there?" He asked.

"I'm still here Yusuke." Came the reply from the other end. "I'm just trying to think of something to say or help you but I honestly can't right now because I have to get back to class soon."

Yusuke felt his heart sink. Of course. It was selfish of him to ask so much of Akira and take up so much of his time. "I'm Sorry." He whispered.

"No! Don't apologize!" Yusuke heard Akira reply in alarm on the other side. "I should be apologizing because I wish I knew what to say. I promise we can talk once school gets out and we meet up at the cafe. Can you hang on until then?"

"I think so." Yusuke said. "Naoya is here with me right now but I know he'll have to go back to class soon. So I'll have nothing to do and nowhere to go for the whole day."

"Well, you know you're always welcome to hang out at the Cafe until I get back." Akira replied, his voice gentle.

"Okay." Yusuke said. "Thank you Akira."

"I have to go. But please take care until I see you later, okay?"

"Okay." Yusuke said. "Goodbye Akira."

"Goodbye Yusuke." Akira said.

Yusuke hung up the phone.

"I'm sorry. I wish I could do more to help." Yusuke heard Naoya say.

"It's alright, I guess." Yusuke said dejectedly.

"I'll have to get to class but call me if you want to hang out later, okay? You're my friend, I want to be here for you." Naoya said as Yusuke heard him stand up.

"I understand. And thank you." Yusuke replied. And with that, Yusuke heard Naoya start walking down the hall, his footsteps getting quieter by the second.

Yusuke pulled his knees to his chest and hugged them close. He felt Morgana nuzzle at his hand.

"What so you think you're going to do now?" Morgana asked.

"I don't know." Yusuke said. "Normally, whenever I'd feel bad, I would start drawing and sketching but now I can't make art anymore and because of that, now we're here."

Yusuke rested his head on his knees.

"I can't make art anymore." He whispered bitterly. It felt like it had been such a cruel joke. He felt his eyes well up with tears as once again he felt his heart break and loud wails and sobs started to shake his body as he just cried. He didn't care about the possibility that he was drawing attention to himself. He couldn't see anybody staring at him anyway.

Eventually, after he couldn't possibly cry any more, Yusuke slowly got up, thoroughly exhausted.

"Careful." Morgana said. "Just tell me where to go and I'll help get you there."

"Guide me back to the café. There's nothing for me here." He said.

He didn't talk at all for the rest of the commute.

~~~~~

  
After several hours of waiting at the café had passed, Yusuke was finally greeted by Akira upon his return from school.

"I'm sorry I couldn't get here sooner." Yusuke heard Akira say as he sat down across from him at the booth. "I had to ask around a bit at school. Did the rest of the day go okay for you?"

"I guess." Yusuke said bitterly. "It was really boring considering I can't draw anymore and that's how I spent most of my time. What did you need to ask around for?

Yusuke heard Akira take a deep breath.

"So I was asking all the teachers and officials at school about their policies involving students with disabilities," He started to say. "And I learned that although they don't have many, they have some teacher's aides who are trained in tenji writing and would be willing to teach blind students outside of class as well as provide class notes in Tenji. And despite that, the tuition is way cheaper than at Kousei."  
  
Yusuke thought for a minute, unsure of what this all meant.

"Akira, what are you trying to say?" Yusuke asked.

"I'm saying you should transfer to Syujin." Akira replied. "You'll be going to school every day with me and the others and the school will provide you the resources you need and you'll pay even less than you did at Kousei." He said. "And you can live here in the cafe with me. I'm sure Sojiro doesn't mind. I know he likes you and he even told me he offered you a place to stay here after the whole thing with Madarame so I know asking for permission for you to stay won't be hard. What do you think?"

Yusuke thought about it. While it was true that Sojiro had offered to let him stay at the cafe and that he turned it down, that was back when he still had the choice that his eyesight provided for him. As it stood now, it was the best-sounding arrangement he could think of. Yusuke didn't need to think long. He already knew his answer.

"I accept your offer." Yusuke said resolutely.

Akira breathed a sigh of relief. "Good!" He said. "I can come by the Kousei dorms tomorrow to help you get moved out and then we can start working on your transfer request forms." He continued.

Yusuke nodded. "Thank you for everything." He said gratefully. Although he still felt sad, angry, and empty inside from everything that had happened in the last few days he was at least glad he had friends like Akira and Naoya to make it all feel a little less bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been trying so hard to avoid situations using honorifics in my fix a because not only am I still a little confused about them sometimes but also because I'm always worried I'm coming across as "weeby" or "offensive" somehow but I realized I can't avoid the use of honorifics any longer, especially with this chapter in particular.
> 
> Anyway, new chapter in honor of NaNoWriMo! Things have been pretty hectic not gonna lie, I wish I could squeeze out more chapters on a once every three days basis but I guess it looks to be a more once every five days thing, schoolwork permitting. Also I just got myself a Twitter where I've been posting and sharing a lot of my P5 headcanons with other artists and writers in the fandom since I've been too busy for tumblr lately so if you want to check out/follow/interact with either or both my tumblr and Twitter, feel free to check out @DisneyHimeLana (Twitter) and Tearsofahime (Tumblr). Until next time!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning for some self-harm and ableist language in this chapter.

"And that should be the last of the boxes." Akira said the next day, as Yusuke heard him gently set one of the heavy boxes down on the table after spending hours getting moved in to Akira's room.

"Thank you so much Akira. I can't thank you enough for everything you've done." Yusuke said as he mindlessly stood up from his spot on the couch. Realizing he had had no intent to go anywhere, he instantly sat back down again. Admittedly, the last couple of days, Yusuke felt like he had been running on “autopilot” mode and he barely wanted to think about or feel anything in case he had a meltdown but as a result, he just felt empty and numb.

"It's really no big deal." Akira said, pulling Yusuke out of his thoughts. "I want to make sure you're safe and comfortable." He said as Yusuke heard him walk to the couch and flop down next to him as he audibly sighed in exhaustion.

"It sounds like it is a 'big deal' though." Yusuke pointed out as he sat up. "You sound tired!"

Yusuke felt Akira pull him back to lean against the couch while he sat up. “I’ll be fine.” He said gently.

Yusuke pouted as he heard the sound of Akira’s joints cracking, followed by the sound of papers shuffling. Yusuke felt Akira lean back against the couch.

“I’m surprised, Syujin was pretty quick to process your transfer request.” Akira pointed out, quickly changing the subject as Yusuke heard the pages of the file folder he was given earlier that day be flipped through. “I can’t believe your first day is actually tomorrow.”

Yusuke nodded. “I feel a little bit nervous though.” He said as he felt the bag next to him, where his new Syujin High School uniform sat neatly folded in its packaging.

Yusuke felt Akira squeeze his shoulder comfortingly. “It’ll be fine.” Akira said. “You’ll have me and everyone else with you.”

Yusuke nodded and breathed a sigh of relief. "You're right." He said. He felt a wave of exhaustion hit him as he yawned. "Akira can we unpack the boxes tomorrow?" He asked drowsily. "I'm feeling really tired all of a sudden."

"Of course." Yusuke heard Akira say. "I think we should get to bed early anyway since we have to meet up with the principal before school starts so you can get your homeroom assignment."

Yusuke nodded as he got up and felt his way to the bed using his cane. "That sounds like a plan." He said, yawning again as he did. He started changing into his pajamas just as Akira spoke again.

"Don't you want to have dinner first though?" Akira asked.

“No. I think I’m okay.” Yusuke responded.

“Oh. Okay then.” Akira said in concern. “I’m getting a little worried because you don’t eat enough as it is and you’ve barely seemed interested in eating these last couple of days.” He said in concern.

Yusuke stopped. He hadn’t really thought about it until now, but he realized that for the last few days since the accident, he hadn’t been as hungry as he usually was. He didn’t know why, but he felt like he had permanently lost his appetite. As aware of this as he was now, that still didn’t change the fact that he didn’t want to eat.

“I’m positive.” Yusuke replied.

Akira sighed. “I’m going to make some food and I’ll make extra in case you want it.”

Yusuke nodded. “Thank you Akira.” He said. “I appreciate it.”

As Yusuke heard Akira's footsteps go down the stairs, he grabbed his toothbrush and headed for the bathroom. After getting washed up, he immediately headed to bed, falling asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

~~~~~

The next day came quickly and Yusuke found himself and Akira practically scrambling to prepare for the new school day.

“Here, give me your cane. I’ll unfold it.” Yusuke heard Akira say as Yusuke tried to clip a suspender to his pants. “Do you need help with those?”

Yusuke nodded, letting go of the suspender clips in defeat. “Yes please.” He said.

Akira stepped over and gently took the suspender clips and clipped them to Yusuke’s pants.

“Thank you.” Yusuke said before he slipped on the blazer.

Yusuke felt Akira reach over and button up the blazer. He stepped back when he was done.

"Did I never mention I always thought you'd look good in a Syujin High uniform?" Akira said as Yusuke smoothed down the front of his shirt.

Yusuke felt his face heat up. "N-no." He stammered. "Do I look as good as you had hoped?" He asked curiously.

"Even better than I imagined.” Akira said as he put both his hands on Yusuke's shoulders. "Because now it means you're actually going to school with me."

Yusuke felt his face heat up even more as he turned his face away from Akira.

“I… thank you.” He said, feeling at a loss for words.

After hearing Morgana pad over to their bags and hop into Akira’s before being zipped up inside, Yusuke heard Akira pick up both of their schoolbags before he held his free hand not occupied by the cane he held.

“Let’s go.” Akira said, giving Yusuke’s hand a reassuring squeeze.

~~~~~

“You’ll be in class 2-C with Ushimaru-Sensei as your homeroom teacher and Yamamoto-san as your in-class notetaker and Aide. You’ll be meeting after-school for tenji and supplemental education lessons from Kawakami-sensei.” The principal said after giving Yusuke a brief welcome and rundown about the school and had the teachers introduce themselves. “Do you have any questions?” He asked.

Yusuke nodded. “Just one.” He said. “When is my first Tenji lesson?” He asked.

The sound of papers shuffling was heard before the principal responded. “We’ve decided that since it’s your first day here, we’re going to focus on having you get accustomed to the school first and tomorrow we’ll start with your first lesson. Does that sound alright to you?”

Yusuke nodded in agreement. “It sounds wonderful.” He said. “Thank you so much for being so accommodating.”

“Welcome to Syujin, Kitagawa-san. We’re glad to have you here.” The principal responded. “Feel free to come to any of us at any time of you have questions. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to get to another meeting, so I’d advise you get to class now.”

As Yusuke stepped out, he heard Akira eagerly get up from his seat

"What class assignment did you get?" Akira asked excitedly.

"Class 2-C." Yusuke said. "Is that with you?"

"No, I'm in class 2-D, but you'll be in the same class as Ryuji." Akira replied.

Yusuke made a face, prompting a laugh from Akira. "Come on." He said, taking Yusuke's hand in his. "He's not all that bad. And Ann, Haru, Makoto and I will make sure to come over to your class during lunchtimes. Speaking of which, let's go meet up with them." And with that, Yusuke felt Akira gently pull him in the direction of the classroom.

~~~~~

"Look who it is, everyone!" Akira said as he led Yusuke through the door.

"Yusuke! I'm so happy you're here!" Yusuke heard Haru say. There were enthusiastic mutterings of greetings and agreements from the rest of his teammates.

"Thank you, Haru." Yusuke said, grateful for the welcome.

"Hey man, How are you liking it here so far?” Ryuji asked.

"Ryuji, he's only been here for maybe a total of half an hour. I think it's a little too early for him to say for sure." Makoto said sternly. "That being said, after this, as student council president and your friend, I am more than happy to show you around the school at lunchtime. I hope you have a wonderful time here at Syujin."

Yusuke nodded. "Thank you very much." He said. "I would very much appreciate that tour of the school later." He said.

"I'm sure you're gonna like it here!" Ann said cheerfully. "We used to have a gross teacher and a lot of bad stuff happen here but we took care of it so it's all good!"

"Just say it louder, will you?" Makoto hissed.

"Sorry." Ann said a little sheepishly. "I'm just really glad you're here." She said.

Yusuke felt a smile form on his face. “So am I.” He said, feeling grateful and happy that his friends were being so welcoming.

Soon enough though, Kawakami-sensei shooed everybody but Ann and Akira out and Yusuke found himself walking alongside Ryuji to get to class.

~~~~~

The rest of the day passed more smoothly than Yusuke had expected. After introducing himself to his class with his new aide helping him write his name on the board and being assigned a seat near the front, class passed by as smoothly as if it were any other day.

Which was why he felt thrown off when he overheard some girls gossiping while he was on his way out from school.

"I heard he used to be a painter." He heard one of the girls say in a hushed tone of voice. "And his paintings were beautiful. It's such a shame he went blind."

Yusuke froze when he realized she was talking about him before he winced internally at the past tense and the pitying tone of voice but he felt compelled to listen more and not speak up. Given by the way the girl was talking, he figured that she didn’t realize that he could be listening.

"Painter, Schmainter. He's still quite a lazy-ass if you ask me" Yusuke heard another girl say. "All he does is just sit there in class. The teacher never calls on him and he has someone else take his notes for him."

"Seiko, he's BLIND." The first girl responded forcefully. "Have a little respect. I'm sure he has to get his notes somehow especially since there are tenji teachers at this school."

"Whatever." The girl identified as Seiko responded. "He's still a waste of space to me. Anyway I'm outta here, the drama club is holding auditions and I don't want to be late."

And with that, Yusuke heard the two girls walk away.

Left alone, he felt dread settle itself over his heart. The girls were right, even if they did seem to look down on him. He couldn’t ever make art again. And the more he thought about it, the more he realized that that was all he Had seemed to be good at when he had his eyesight, art blocks and all. Now that it was gone, he suddenly realized that he had little else to himself going for him.

Before he could think any further about this, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“There you are, Yusuke!” He heard Akira say. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”

“Sorry.” Yusuke said. “I was a little distracted. We should get going.” He said, quickly making his way to the door.

Yusuke felt Akira gently take his hand. “Hey, are you all right?” Akira asked, gently squeezing his hand. “You seem really on edge.”

Yusuke shook his head. “I’m fine.” He said a little curtly. “I just had a long day. That’s all.”

Akira gently gave his hand another reassuring squeeze. “Well, okay then.” He said. “If You need to talk, just let me know, okay?”

Yusuke nodded. “Okay.”

“Come on. We don’t want to keep the others waiting."

“Others?” Yusuke asked in confusion.

“Oh right. I forgot to mention. We’re going to have a mementos planning session at LeBlanc today.” Akira said. “You’re welcome to sit in, if you’d like.”

Yusuke paused, suddenly feeling a sense of loneliness creep into his heart. “I guess I can.” He said. “Although it won’t affect me since I can’t go into the dungeons anymore.”

Akira just said a muffled “Oh.” In response, as if he had just realized something. They ended up spending the rest of the commute back in silence, although Akira never let go of Yusuke’s hand.

~~~~~

The mementos planning meeting went by fast enough, but the entire time, Yusuke couldn’t help but feel left out, even as he sat next to Akira at the table. All the talk about strategies and stealth just further served to remind Yusuke of yet another thing he wasn’t able to do anymore. He spent the entire time in silence as he tried not to think about anything so as not to feel bad.

As the meeting ended and Akira and the others got up to leave to go on their mission, Yusuke felt Akira place his hand on his shoulder.

“I’ll be gone for a couple hours. Do you think you can handle it?” Akira asked gently.

Yusuke just wordlessly nodded.

“Okay.” Akira said. “Please take care. I’ll see you later.”

~~~~~

It turned out that taking care of himself while Akira was gone was a lot harder than Yusuke had expected.

The first hour Akira was gone went by agonizingly slowly for Yusuke. With no real homework yet to do and being unable to draw, Yusuke found himself completely and utterly bored. He tried to take a nap before he realized he wasn’t getting any sleep. He tried turning on the TV before he realized there would be no point in doing that action.

He got up, removed his glasses and started pacing around the room, his boredom becoming increasingly more irritating. He was pulled out of his thoughts when he accidentally bumped into the mirror Akira kept in the corner of the room. His new lack of spatial awareness, especially unaided by his cane that he had forgotten to pick up when he stood up, along with everything else that he had heard and realized that day just compounded as he curled his fist up, feeling his fingernails cut into his palms.

In his frustration, Yusuke swung his fist against the mirror, which shattered on impact. He felt a sharp sting as his knuckles made contact with sharp shards of broken glass as he heard the whole mirror shatter in front of him. Numb once more, he silently sank down to the ground, feeling the glass crunch under his weight.

“Useless.” He said. “I’m utterly useless.” He couldn’t do anything he used to do. He couldn’t paint, he couldn’t go into the dungeons and fight, and he had to rely on everybody every step of the way to function. He felt useless. Worthless. A complete burden on everybody.

He felt a trickle of blood and a sharp stinging sensation from his wrist. He suddenly became aware of the fact that not only was he holding a sharp shard of glass, he had also used it to cut a multitude of horizontal lines into his skin. He hung his head back and laughed hoarsely in defeat. He deserved it. He deserved every bit of it for what he has become.

After that, he sat there for what felt like hours, just feeling the blood run down his wrist and slowly dry and crust over until eventually Akira returned from his Mementos quest.

“Yusuke, I’m back!” Yusuke heard Akira’s voice and footsteps head towards the room. “Yusuke?” he heard the other boy ask, worry in his voice as the door creaked open. “Yusuke, oh my god!” 

Yusuke heard a “thump” as Akira’s dropped bag hit the floor, which prompted a confused yelp of shock and pain from Morgana, followed by rapid footsteps as Akira ran to Yusuke’s side, rapidly kneeling down and grabbing him by the wrists.

Yusuke felt Akira turn his wrists over as he gently pried the glass shard out of his hand. He felt Akira get up from his spot on the floor and walk over to the other end of the room. The sound of items being shuffled around on the shelf was heard and a minute later, Akira walked back and kneeled down in front of him, setting what sounded like a heavy-sounding box that was no doubt a first-aid kit down as he did so.

“This will sting a little bit.” Yusuke heard Akira warn him. Yusuke nodded and gritted his teeth at the cold, wet sensation of an antiseptic-soaked cotton ball touching his skin and the subsequent sting Akira had warned him about. He then felt Akira slowly wrap some gauze bandages around the cuts on his wrist, like he was taking his time gently patching him up. Akira worked in silence the entire time, and when he was done, Yusuke heard Akira push the first-aid kit away and pulled Yusuke in for a tight hug, burying his face in his chest. 

For a while, Yusuke felt tenseness in Akira’s whole body before he felt the tenseness give way to trembling and shaking as his shirt started feeling a bit wet and he heard choked sobs coming from the other boy, and then it hit him. He was crying. Akira was crying. And Yusuke knew it was all his fault. Yusuke felt his heart drop into the pit of his stomach as guilt washed over him; he brought his hands up to hug Akira close to him, feeling his eyes water and the tears spill out of his own sightless eyes. 

“I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry…” Yusuke said, whispering his apology over and over again as he gently tightened his embrace around the other boy. To Yusuke, at this point he didn’t care what could happen to himself, but god forbid anything hurts or makes Akira cry. 

Yusuke felt the boy in his arms raise his head and pull away ever-so-slightly. “Why did you do this?” The other boy asked quietly. 

“I’m so sorry Akira.” Yusuke whispered, coming to his senses. “I-I lied to you when I said that I’m doing alright with being blind. I’m scared and I’m sad that I can’t paint, I can’t draw, I can’t fight, and I can’t see you and the others and everything beautiful in this world ever again.” He said as he heard his own voice cracking into a sob. “I’m just so useless and worthless I honestly want to die.”

Yusuke felt Akira pull him into his chest. “Please don’t say that about yourself. You’re far from useless and worthless. You’re so, so, SO important to me.” He whispered fiercely. “I don’t know what I would have done if you had died taking that hit for me.”

Yusuke heard Akira take a deep, shaky breath. “I Should be the one who’s sorry.” He said, voice trembling. “If I had only been more careful in the dungeons, you wouldn’t have felt the need to take the hit for me and you wouldn’t have gotten hurt.” 

Akira’s voice broke as he started crying again. “I’m just so sorry Yusuke. It’s because of me that you’re in all this pain and I wish I could do something to take it all away from you because you don’t deserve any of this but the thing is I just can’t and I hate everything about it.”

Yusuke gasped and pulled away in shock. “Akira please don’t blame yourself for any of this.” He said pleadingly as he wiped at his own eyes on the back of his jacket sleeve. “You are worth protecting. The one thing I’m happy about is that you’re still alive to be able to scold me and take care of me like this.” He said, trying to force a weak smile on his face. 

Akira took another deep breath as he tried to calm down. After a pause he spoke.

“Can you promise me something?” Akira asked as Yusuke felt him gently push aside some hair from his forehead before holding both his hands.

Yusuke took a deep breath, unsure of what Akira was going to say next. "Of course." He finally responded. “What is it?”

“Don’t ever try to harm yourself again.” Akira said. “No more cutting yourself. And while we're at it, no more skipping meals either. I know you do that a lot but I want to make sure you stay healthy.  Okay?”

Yusuke nodded. “I promise.” 

As if on cue, Yusuke’s stomach growled loudly and he suddenly became acutely aware of the sharp hunger pangs in his stomach. 

Akira quietly laughed. “Come on, I’ll make us some dinner.” He said as he stood up, gently pulling Yusuke up with him. Yusuke was more than happy to oblige, feeling thankful he had someone like Akira to take care of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It hurt for me to write that last segment (and the one with the gossiping girls) because it hit really close to home to be honest, but I always take comfort in the mental image of what Ryuji's expression was when he saw Akira walk hand-in-hand with Yusuke earlier in the chapter.
> 
> Anyway, I wrote this chapter to try and take my mind off of the elections so I ended up giving you guys an extra-long chapter so I hope you enjoyed it.  
> If there were any errors (especially with honorific usage) please feel free to let me know. 
> 
> Until next chapter~!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time for some more friendship stuff from the rest of the PT's!!! :D

When Yusuke arrived at school the next day, he couldn’t be more thankful that his uniform had long sleeves. He was glad that he had something to hide evidence of his loss of judgment from the previous night and make it look less noticeable. Even so, he could feel his skin itch under the gauze tape and it took him everything not to scratch it and draw attention to his wounds and re-open them. As it was, when he and Akira sat with the others for lunch, he could sense a sort of awkwardness around everyone, as if everybody could notice the injuries but nobody wanted to bring it up. In a way though, he was glad nobody was asking about it, he didn’t feel prepared to be reminded of his mistake from the previous night, let alone explain it.

Thankfully for Yusuke, the school day went quickly, and so did his first tenji lesson, and in no time, he and Akira (Who had waited around after school for him to finish his lesson), were headed home together to the café.

~~~~~

“So tell me what you covered in your Tenji lesson today.” Makoto said an hour later as she sat down across from Yusuke at the table he and Futaba were sitting at in Akira’s room. “I got some class notes so I’m going to try and help you review it.”

“How did you get the class notes?” Yusuke asked curiously.

“There are some perks that come with being student council president.” Makoto responded. “When you tell the teachers you’d like to see the curriculum to help your friend study, they generally tend to give you a couple copies.”

“Fair enough.” Yusuke responded.

“So tell me what you covered in your tenji lesson.” Makoto prompted again.

“Just the first fourteen hiragana.” Yusuke replied.

“Okay. That gives me a good starting point.” Makoto said as he heard the sound of binder rings opening and pages being flipped.

Yusuke felt a card with raised dots be slipped under his fingertips.

“Let’s start with some flashcard memorization.” Makoto said. “What hiragana is this?”

Yusuke pressed his fingertips over the dots. “’ _Ko._ ’” He responded almost immediately.

“You are correct.” Makoto said as she removed the card and replaced it with a different one. “And what is this?" Makoto said, taking Yusuke's hand and gently guiding his fingertips over the flashcard.

"It is…" Yusuke started as he deliberated, as he ran his fingers over the raised dots. “ _Ka_.” He finally said.

“Very good.” Makoto said as he heard her flip the flashcard. “And what about this one?”

Yusuke ran his fingers over the card. This particular order of dots seemed very confusing to him. He paused, trying to think back to the lesson. “Is it ‘ _Na’_?” he asked.

Makoto took the card out from under his fingers as he heard her unclip the card from the ring it was on. “No. It’s ‘ _Sa_.’” She replied. “It’s okay; we’ll go back to that one later. What about this one?”

~~~~~

The review session continued on for another hour and a half until Yusuke had thoroughly memorized all of the hiragana tenji from his lesson.

“Now that we’ve gone through the lesson plan, I think we’ll call it good for today.” Makoto said as Yusuke heard her snap a couple binder rings closed before getting up from her seat.

“Thank you so much Makoto for helping me out.” Yusuke thanked gratefully.

“I’m glad I could be of help. Does meeting the day after tomorrow for review work for you?” Makoto asked.

Yusuke nodded. “I do not think I will be doing much that day so please feel free to come over and help me review.” Yusuke said.

“Okay, I’ll see you later then.” Makoto said as Yusuke heard her footsteps head toward the door.

"Alright now that you're done with all of that, I brought videogames for us to play!" Futaba said as Yusuke heard the sound of a laptop booting up and Makoto’s footsteps descending down the stairs, no doubt to study her own schoolwork in peace and quiet in the café.

"That's nice, but need I remind you that I'm blind now?" Yusuke said, suddenly feeling a little irritated at Futaba's seeming lack of consideration and awareness.

"Relax." Futaba said as Yusuke heard a couple keys being tapped. "You don't actually need your eyesight to play these games."

"How???" Yusuke asked, confusion clouding his voice.

"They're kind of more like audiogames." Futaba explained. "You actually have to rely on your sense of hearing and imagination to play these and use the directional keys on the keypad. They give you audio cues to tell you what to do or where you are in the story and in some of these there's even a narrator. Here check this one out." She said as Yusuke heard her set the laptop down in front of him and put his fingers on the directional keys. "This one is called 'Rally Racer'. It's basically your straightforward racing game. You want to try? I modified it to accommodate two simultaneous players so we can play against each other in two-player mode."

Yusuke briefly thought about it. He honestly had nothing better to do and the thought of an audiogame certainly intrigued him.

"I'll give it a try." He said.

"Awesome!” Futaba said as Yusuke heard her plug something into the USB port and set a separate keyboard down next to him. He heard a mouse click, followed by the sound of car engines revving up.

“WELCOME TO RALLY RACER!” An announcer’s voice blared loudly from the laptop’s speakers. Yusuke heard the volume be rapidly lowered to a less intrusive level as Futaba clicked her mouse’s cursor.

“Before we begin, let us guide you through a tutorial.” The announcer said. “Use your directional keys to guide your racer. Here are a couple audio cues to look out for and what they mean.” The announcer said as a few noises and sounds were played.

Futaba started the game as soon as the tutorial was over.

“You Ready to be crushed into dust Foxboy?” Futaba asked as the countdown started.

“You are going to eat your words.” Yusuke said as he readied his fingers on the directional keypad.

As the countdown reached zero, Yusuke pressed the “Up” Key with fervor to force his racer forward.

“PLAYER ONE IS IN THE LEAD!” The announcer said after two minutes of gameplay as Yusuke finished his second lap.

“FUCK YOU INARI!” Futaba shouted angrily as Yusuke heard her rapidly mash the directional keys on her keyboard.

“Are you jealous?” Yusuke asked humorously as he heard his racer pass Futaba’s for the third time.

“No, I’ll get you, just you wait.” Futaba said before she accidentally crashed her racer into an obstacle, prompting another string of curses from her.

“PLAYER ONE HAS WON!” The announcer blared as Yusuke heard his racer cross the finish line.

“Ugh fine, you win because of beginner’s luck.” Futaba said as she clicked her mouse. “But I demand a rematch.”

“Hey guys, I’m on my break so I came up to check on you. What’s going on?” Akira said as he stepped through the door.

“Oh, we’re playing a sound-based racing game.” Futaba replied as she paused the game. “Do you want to try?” She asked.

“Sure.” Akira replied, sitting down in between Yusuke and Futaba. “It sounds pretty interesting.”

Yusuke heard Futaba slide her keyboard over to Akira. “We’re in the middle of a lap.” She explained. “Currently Yusuke is in the lead but let’s see how you’ll do. Just use the directional keys to move around and listen for sound cues telling you if there’s obstacles to avoid or if you’re in the lead or not.”

“That sounds pretty straightforward.” Akira said.

“Alright! Get ready then, I’m unpausing the game!” Futaba said as she hit enter.

The sound of revving car engines and tearing tires filled the air again as Yusuke hit the forward key again. Instantly, he heard the sound of his car crashing into an obstacle while the sound of a revving car passing him by was heard.

“PLAYER 2 IS IN THE LEAD!” The announcer said.

Yusuke cursed himself internally as he tried to move his player to catch up.

“I won’t go easy on you Akira!” He said as he rapidly clicked the keys to avoid obstacles.

“Your placement on the racetrack tells me otherwise!” Akira said cheekily as Yusuke heard him pass him by again.

“Be quiet!” Yusuke said as he moved his racer only to be greeted by the sound of crashing as his avatar collided with another obstacle.

“PLAYER 2 HAS WON!” The announcer shouted.

“Heck yes!” Akira shouted triumphantly.

Yusuke pouted. “You had the unfair advantage of having part of the lap be done by Futaba.” He pointed out. “I want a rematch.”

“Okay.” Akira replied humorously as he heard a mouse click to restart the game.

Akira, Yusuke, and Futaba played two more rounds of the game, alternating amongst each other until Akira’s break ended and he had to return to his shift.

~~~~~

“That was fun wasn’t it?” Futaba said as she closed out the window with a click an hour later.

“I’m surprised. It actually was!” Yusuke agreed. “We should definitely do this again soon!”

“Yeah!” Futaba agreed. "I also got another game called 'A Blind Legend.'" She said. "You basically play as a blind knight trying to rescue his wife with his daughter's aid while navigating a dangerous world. If you want, I can leave the USB drive with the game file on it for you to play on Akira's laptop."

Yusuke nodded. "I would very much be interested in that game. Thank you Futaba."

Yusuke felt Futaba lightly pat him on the back. "It's cool Inari." She said teasingly to let him know not to take offense to the nickname she always used for him when she was angry. "I just wanna make sure you can still be able to enjoy yourself." She said as Yusuke heard her get up from her spot.

“Anyway, I gotta go. Let me know what you think of the game when you finish playing it!” Futaba said as Yusuke heard her shuffle some items in her bag before zipping it up again.

“I will.” Yusuke said as the sound of Futaba’s footsteps headed toward the door.

“Alright! I’ll see you later!” Futaba said.

“Okay. Goodbye Futaba.” Yusuke said.

Once Yusuke heard Futaba close the door behind her, he pocketed the USB Futaba left for him and moved toward the door to head down to the café himself.

~~~~~

After school the next day, Haru surprised everyone by taking them all out to a buffet.

“Not that I’m complaining…” Ryuji began as Yusuke heard him click a pair of tongs together before grabbing a couple sushi rolls. “But why are you taking us all out here?”

“I just thought it’d be something we all deserve especially after the week we all had. So eat to your heart’s content, it’s all on me!” Yusuke heard Haru say cheerfully before she stepped in line to the ham carving station and placed her order.

“AWESOME! You’re the best, Haru!” Ann said excitedly. “I’m going to go hit up the dessert table. Come on Futaba, let’s go check it out!”

“Normally dessert is saved for last, just so you know!” Makoto reminded sternly.

“Lighten up Makoto! Live a little!” Ann said as Yusuke heard her walk away chattering with Futaba.

Makoto sighed exasperatedly before Yusuke heard her walk in the direction the other two girls went in.

After the girls were out of earshot, Yusuke was left standing alone with Akira and Morgana.

Yusuke didn’t have much time to dwell on the fact that Haru was likely referencing the fact that the buffet outing was supposed to make him personally feel better about the last week before his stomach instantly growled and his mouth watered at the thought of all of the food options he had offered to him.

“Akira don’t forget to give me some of that fancy tuna sushi!” Morgana said from Akira’s bag.

“Alright okay I will!” Akira chuckled. “Let me get some food for myself and Yusuke first!” He said as Yusuke heard Akira pick up a couple plates from a nearby stack and hand one over to him.

Yusuke took the plate as he felt his way around the signs on all the glass displays in front of the food, trying to attempt to read the tenji lettering on the placards before realizing his current level of tenji reading was not proficient enough to try reading many words.

“Do you need help finding the food you want?” Akira asked.

Yusuke nodded in defeat. “Yes please.” He responded.

Yusuke heard Akira step closer to him. “Okay, in front of you, we’ve got oysters, lobster, crab, and shrimp.” Akira said, picking up a pair of tongs and clicking them before picking up something and placing it on his own plate with a soft “clink”. “Is there something you want here? I just took some of the crab legs.”

Yusuke practically vibrated at the thought of the lobster in front of him. “Give me as many lobster tails as you can fit on my plate.” Yusuke said eagerly.

“Alright.” Akira said as he placed a couple lobster tails onto Yusuke’s plate. “Is there anything else you want or should we move to the next station?”

Yusuke shook his head. “Let’s move to the next station!” He said. “I want to know what kind of sushi they have here!”

“Okay.” Akira said. “Let’s get going.”

~~~~~

Because they spent a long time loading up their plates at every station they went to (Mostly due to Yusuke wanting to try every kind of food Akira told him was offered), Yusuke and Akira were the last to sit down at the booth where the others were gathered. Yusuke didn’t mind. It allowed him to sit on the outermost part of the booth where he could get in and out easily while Akira sat next to him. Yusuke dug in almost as soon as he was seated, messily tearing into the lobster tails as he did.

 “Yusuke there’s something on your left cheek.” Akira pointed out.

Yusuke stopped eating as he picked up his napkin to try to wipe at his cheek.

“Is it gone?” He asked.

“No it’s still there. Here, let me take care of that.” Akira said as Yusuke heard the sound of ice cubes clinking in a drinking glass followed by the cold wet sensation of a moist paper napkin on his cheek as Akira rubbed at the spot.

“There we go.” Akira said as he put the napkin down. “Much better.”

Yusuke found himself blushing slightly at the sweet gesture. “Thank you Akira.” He said.

Akira laughed a little. “It’s no problem.” He replied.

“Hey Inari, I realized something.” Ryuji said, catching Yusuke’s attention. “With your dark glasses on, you actually don’t look half bad.” He continued, the joking tone evident in his voice.

“Ryuji don’t be rude!” Makoto retorted.

“No I’m serious! Get him a nice suit and he could pass for one of those cool Men in Black or one of those Jazz Men you find playing the saxophone at Shibuya station.” Ryuji continued.

“Yeah no. Sorry Ryuji, I’m going to side with Makoto here.” Ann chimed in.

“Ann what the fuck! I thought you’d agree with me!” Ryuji whined.

While Ann, Makoto and Ryuji bickered, Yusuke thought the whole mental image of himself being a secret agent Man in Black was absurd, despite the fact that he used to go on those covert undercover missions not too long ago. The image of himself just making a living at the train station playing saxophone was also incredibly laughable to him, honestly hilarious in fact. Without even thinking, Yusuke started laughing.

Everyone at the table stopped talking and Yusuke felt all eyes turn on him but he didn’t care. He was laughing for the first time in what honestly felt longer than a week and it felt amazing just to feel even the slightest hint of happiness again.

What Yusuke didn’t see, but everyone else did, was the look of pure adoration on Akira’s face as he saw him genuinely smile and laugh for the first time in a week. Despite not knowing about Akira’s feelings in that moment, Yusuke still felt glad that he had such caring and supportive friends to make his hardship feel less difficult.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of announcements/notes this chapter but first 
> 
> Sorry for the delay! School dished out more assignments than I was prepared for since the last update but in honor of my birthday (and my winning the "Best Persona 5" category in the Atlus-o-weenie cosplay contest for those who are curious to know what the author looks like) I decided to finish a new chapter! And for once it isn't a sad chapter, whaddaya know? I'm also going to start publishing my other AU that I'm writing in tandem with this one very very soon so keep an eye out for that!
> 
> I'm definitely looking forward to winter break when I can finally have more time to write, especially during the week I'll be recovering from my wisdom teeth removal because I'll basically be bedridden for most of it so yay progress but also boo tooth pain I guess.
> 
> Also to those who were asking, yes I am bringing Goro in very VERY soon, so rest easy Goroboys, you'll see your fave detective soon!
> 
> To those who want to know more about the audiogames mentioned, feel free to check out the resource in the link as well as "A Blind Legend" on steam. I didn't get much chance to play the "Rally Racer" due to computer stuff so I had to take a lot of liberty about what the actual gameplay for that was like but I watched a play through of "A Blind Legend" on YouTube and it was a very interesting experience to say the least.
> 
> http://www.audiogames.net/list-games/
> 
> Anyway I got another chapter to write so until next time!


	6. Chapter 6

If there was one thing that surprised Yusuke about himself when it came to his blindness, it was that he turned out to be surprisingly adaptive. Within a week after he had lost his eyesight, Yusuke had gotten the hang of using his mobility cane and he was even beginning to be able to start to read basic sentences in tenji. Yusuke had to admit, it felt really good to be able to move around without bumping and crashing into things.

However, with the upsides came the downsides and one such downside presented itself to Yusuke on Sunday night; in his dreams, no less.

Having lost his eyesight a little over a week ago, he still had frequent dreams in which he still had his eyesight, and more often than not, they seemed to haunt him in ways he didn’t think could be frightening.

Unlike the total darkness that was his waking life, in the dream, Yusuke saw everything in vivid color and detail.

~~~~~

_The sun was shining brightly as the heat beat down on Yusuke as he felt the warmth through his hoodie and in the sand beneath his feet and in between his toes, which despite the heat being sweltering he was seemingly unaffected by thanks to the cooling effects of his bufu powers._

_Yusuke looked down in his hands and saw two enormous lobsters that he had bought while Akira and Ryuji were playing that silly “Babe Hunt” game that Ryuji had suggested. He had left out of pure disinterest in such a dumb activity as he felt his stomach growl from hunger._

_“Akira!” He shouted, running over as he saw Akira and Ryuji walk back to Join Ann, Makoto and Futaba._  
  
_“Are those lobsters?” Futaba said as she stepped in front of him. “Here give me those!”_

_“No!” Yusuke said as he swiftly moved the crustaceans out of her hands as she strained on tiptoe to reach them but to no avail._

_Yusuke heard Akira laugh as he looked over to see the brunet hide his mouth behind his hands as he chuckled at the sight of his two bickering friends before removing his hand, revealing what was by far the most gorgeous smile he had ever seen as Akira’s eyes seemed to crinkle slightly from laughter._

_Suddenly, Akira’s eyes began to swirl and distort and blur as the laughter started to sound more and more warped as Yusuke stared in horror until…_

~~~~~

Yusuke jerked awake as he sat up straight and in a cold sweat, taking deep, panicked, haggard breaths as he opened his eyes, which were instantly greeted with darkness as the reality that he was awake and not reliving the time he and the others went to the beach set in. The image of Akira’s eyes distorting like that and ruining such a precious memory was haunting, terrifying even.

Next to him, he heard the alarm on Akira’s phone go off as he heard Akira stir next to him in bed.

Trying to calm himself, Yusuke wished Akira a good morning before he got out of bed and went to go get ready for school and carry on as if nothing went wrong, hoping he was keeping up a good enough façade so as not to worry Akira. It seemed to work, because if Akira had noticed, he wasn’t saying anything on their way to school.

~~~~~

Yusuke tried to hold it together and not think about his dream as he sat in class, but try as he might, he just couldn’t get the feeling that that last image of Akira smiling felt a little off. The more he tried to look at it in his mind’s eye, the more he realized that the detail of Akira’s eyes before they distorted seemed a bit nebulous and blurry, like as if he couldn’t pinpoint what color they were or their shape.

He tried to imagine what color Akira’s eyes were, trying to alter the image in his head to fit every new eye color, trying out various shades of blue, green, brown, and even red but none of them seemed right. With every new color he unsuccessfully tried to imagine Akira’s eyes in, the more distressed he started to become as he continued doing this all throughout the day.

Akira seemed to notice his as he spoke up as soon as he and Yusuke got home to the café once school let out.

“Okay.” Akira said. ‘’You’ve been acting nervous and a little skittish all day. Is everything okay?” He asked.

“Akira…” Yusuke said as the panic set into his heart. “What color are your eyes?”

“Grey.” Akira responded. “Why do you need to know? How does this have anything to do with why you’ve been acting all weird today?”

“Grey…” Yusuke thought as he remembered his dream. It wasn’t blue, or anything else, it was grey. Meaning that he was truly starting to forget one of his most precious memories…

“Yusuke? Yusuke Are you okay?” Yusuke heard Akira say, pulling him out of his thoughts.

Yusuke felt something wet on his cheek, and reached to touch his face, removing his dark glasses as he did so. He felt that his eyes were wet and that tears had begun to trickle out of his eyes and down his face. He hadn’t even realized that he was crying until Akira pointed it out. He tried wiping at the tears to hide his shame only to replace his glasses once he realized it would be no use to wipe his eyes if he was going to keep crying.

“Yusuke?” Akira asked again. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m so upset at myself.” Yusuke finally articulated.

“Why?” Akira said gently as he took Yusuke’s hand and gently squeezed it.

“I-I just wanted to remember the image of your face and smile but in my dream from last night I couldn’t properly remember your eye color at all.” Yusuke replied bitterly.

“Yusuke, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it.” Akira said gently.

“No it’s not!” Yusuke exclaimed. “The image of your smiling face is one of my most precious memories from when I still had my eyesight and now I can’t even remember such an important image anymore.” He said as his voice began to shake and crack as his body started to shake with the weight of a held-back sob.

Yusuke felt Akira wrap his arms around him and tighten his hold around him, pressing him closer to his chest and rubbing comforting circles into his back. The surge of emotions running through Yusuke was too much, and he could feel the tears flood out of his eyes in response. He tried wiping at the tears to hide his shame only to replace his glasses once he realized it would be no use to wipe his eyes if he was going to keep crying.

“I just want to see your beautiful smile again and paint it again.” Yusuke sobbed, choking out the words. “I miss seeing your face, I miss seeing everyone else’s faces; I even miss seeing Ryuji’s face.”

“Shhhh.” Akira said as he smoothed Yusuke’s hair down. “I understand.” He whispered. “I can’t promise you your eyesight back so you can see me and the others again but I think I know the next-best thing.” He said.

Yusuke sniffled as he briefly removed his glasses to wipe the remaining tears away on the back of his jacket before replacing the glasses back on his face. “You do?” He asked.

“Here.” Akira said as he gently took Yusuke’s hands and placed it on his face. “You still have your sense of touch, right?”

Yusuke gently felt around Akira’s face. His fingers passed over the roundness of Akira’s button nose and felt along the shape of it as it led up his face and then along the graceful but strong arch of his eyebrows. He poked a little at the slight bit of squishy baby fat of Akira’s cheeks, prompting a giggle from Akira.

Feeling the details of Akira’s face under his fingertips started to solidify the image of him that he already kept in his mind.

“What do you think?” Akira asked as Yusuke moved his hands into his hair. Yusuke was surprised. Despite its seemingly unkempt and messy appearances, Akira’s hair was actually quite silky and soft to the touch. He found he couldn’t stop running his fingers through it.

“Amazing…” He breathed. “Your hair is so soft.” He said.

Akira laughed sheepishly. “Thanks.” He said as Yusuke felt him scratch the back of his head. “I feel bad that I have to ask you to take your hands out of my hair especially since you seem to be enjoying it but I have to get ready for work.”

“Oh.” Yusuke said disappointedly.

“Hey, don’t worry; you can do this again once I come back from my shift at Lala-Chan’s bar later tonight!” Akira said cheerfully. “And if you want you can do this with the others too, I’m sure they won’t mind.”

As Yusuke heard Akira open the door and head downstairs, he followed him into the café as he sat down at a table at the counter to try to read over the notes from his Tenji lesson.

Barely fifteen minutes had passed before Yusuke heard the bell at the top of the café’s door chime and he heard dainty-sounding footsteps walk in.

“Hello Akira! Hello Yusuke!” He heard Haru’s cheerful voice say.

“Hey Haru!” Akira said as Yusuke got down from his seat and instantly walked over to her before reaching out and placing his hands on her face, causing a slight yelp of surprise from her.

“Ummmm… Yusuke what are you doing?” Haru asked cluelessly as Yusuke felt around her face.

“He’s been trying to preserve the memories of people’s faces by feeling them for the details.” Akira explained.

“Ohhhhh…” Haru said suddenly understanding what Akira meant. “Can you at least let me sit down so you don’t tire your arms out by reaching to me?” She said.

Yusuke instantly removed his hands. “Sorry.” He said.

“No it’s fine,” Haru replied as Yusuke heard her sit down next to him at the counter. “Here, this is more comfortable now that you can rest your elbows on the counter.” She continued as she moved his hands onto her face.

Yusuke felt along the soft curves of Haru’s delicate face, feeling her tiny upturned nose and the large roundness of her eyes before he found himself moving his hands towards her hair, placing his hands into it. He had always wondered about what Haru’s hair felt like. Was it soft? Was it coarse?

His questions were immediately answered as he felt the feeling of something soft and fluffy under his fingertips. Haru’s curls were wound to various levels of tightness and at least mildly unruly, but touching it felt like he was touching a cloud.

“I have to admit,” Haru said, breaking the silence. “I don’t quite know what to say right now to such a situation like this one but I hope you’re enjoying my hair.”

“It’s so fluffy…” He said in wonder.

Haru laughed. “I’m glad.” She said. “I don’t normally let people touch my hair but I’ll make an exception for you.” She said good-naturedly.

No sooner had she said that when the bell at the top of the door chimed again and Yusuke heard Ann and Ryuji walk through the door as they chattered on about something, stopping to greet everyone.

Yusuke took his hands out of Haru’s hair as he moved to reach his hands out to touch Ryuji and Ann’s faces, prompting yelps of shock and mild insult from the both of them.

“At least ask before you touch me!” Ann said in surprise as she gripped Yusuke’s wrist and firmly moved his hand out of her face.

“Get your paws off me Inari!” Ryuji shouted as he swatted Yusuke’s hand away. “Why did you just do that anyway?”

“Guys relax.” Akira said. “Yusuke just wants to feel your faces for memory and visualization purposes.”

“Oh okay.” Ann said as she gently placed Yusuke’s hand back on her face. “Just don’t rub too hard or pull on my false eyelashes.” She instructed. “I need my makeup intact because I’m headed to a modeling gig later today.”

Yusuke abruptly stuck his other hand on Ryuji’s face, trying to open his mouth with two of his fingers as he did so. “Open up.” He said. “I want to feel if your teeth are really as sharp as I remember them looking…”

~~~~~

Everything went peacefully for the next couple of hours. Every time he heard another one of his friends enter the café, Yusuke would get up from his spot to move to feel their face, often without asking first but getting permission to do so when Akira explained more.

His desire to touch people’s faces was abruptly stopped when a familiar-seeming stranger walked in.

“Hello Akira!” Said a cheerful-sounding voice as the bells at the top of the café’s door chimed to announce his arrival.

“Oh hey Goro!” Akira said cheerfully. “I haven’t seen you here in a while. What’s up?”

“Work, mostly.” Goro said as Yusuke heard him slide into the unoccupied seat next to him at the counter. “You know how it is. That Phantom Thieves case has been proving really tough to crack.”

“Yeah, I bet.” Akira said, laughing nervously. “Anyway, what can I get you?” He said, quickly changing the subject.

“Just the usual.” Goro replied.

“Usual?” Yusuke asked out loud. “You mean he comes here frequently?”

“Didn’t I tell you? Goro is actually kind of a regular here!” Akira said cheerfully as Yusuke heard him shuffle some items around to try to make Goro’s coffee.

“I see…” Yusuke said in distaste.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know if we’ve met officially or not.” Goro said. “I’m Goro Akechi. You must be Yusuke, right? Akira’s told me quite a bit about you.”

“I know who you are!” Yusuke snapped, suddenly feeling irritable, if at least mildly threatened at the detective’s presence. “We met at the train station that one time with the rest of my friends.”

“Oh right, right. I’m sorry. I kind of forgot back there. I had a lot on my mind.” Goro said, laughing sheepishly as he did. “Still though it’s nice to actually meet you again!”

Yusuke snorted bitterly as he turned his back on the detective.

“Anyway.” Goro said after a short pause. “Did you check out the newest snapchat updates?” He said, making small talk with Akira.

“Not recently.” Akira said. “I’ve been so busy lately that I haven’t had much time to check snapchat.”

“I understand.” Goro said lightheartedly. “Look at this then. One of my fans sent it to me. It’s a picture of a poster they saw of me on the train and decided to put a filter that put a bird’s nest on my head.”

Yusuke heard a brief pause as no doubt Akira was looking at the image Goro wanted to show him.

“I have to admit, it kind of suits you.” Akira chuckled.

“I don’t know… I’m pretty sure that it’ll suit you more! Your hair is so perpetually messy; I’m surprised you don’t ACTUALLY have any birds living in it.” Goro laughed.

Yusuke felt his mood darken as he listened to Goro and Akira continue their friendly banter. For some strange reason he just couldn’t stand it at all.

He found himself grabbing his bag and heading upstairs to Akira’s room.

“Yusuke? Is everything alright?” Akira asked.

“I’m just going to go upstairs to study my class notes in a place that’s actually quiet and less distracting.” Yusuke said.

“Oh… Okay then! Have fun.” Akira said before he went back to his conversation with Goro.

Yusuke just scoffed as he closed the door behind him, all the while feeling unsure as to just why exactly was he starting to feel this level of animosity on such a personal level to a person he just met, even if they were the detective that was trying to get his friends arrested. The only thing he knew was that his chest felt like it was tightening uncomfortably as he remembered hearing Goro and Akira chat so familiarly with each other like they were really good friends; it really didn’t feel good at all.

Sighing, Yusuke took his Tenji materials out of his bag as he sat down at the table and tried to distract himself from what he had just heard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A WILD GORO APPEARS!
> 
> Lmfao jokes aside, it's the Last week before finals, I just wanted to dash out another chapter (Sorry if it seems short) before I descend into Hell with a full week without sleep so as to fend off the potential onset of the cursed Writer's Block that could develop in the meantime! :')
> 
> After finals end on the 10th expect an update on "Painted" soon after, followed by another update on this fic, provided my copy of Pokemon Moon doesn't distract me from writing too much but that's what winter break is for!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're wary of potential spoilers I'd suggest you bookmark this chapter and come back to it when you play the game as it does contain late-game spoilers. If you want to CONTINUE reading this story without getting majorly spoiled for the game, I'll suggest you wait until chapter 8 to continue reading as that chapter will contain significantly less spoilers (if at all) and actually advance the plot of this story.
> 
> And another thing to note: this chapter was very hard for me to write. I could feel my heart break as I was writing the second half.

Even though Yusuke missed his eyesight dearly, he was starting to notice how his other senses had strengthened to accommodate for his lack of sight.

He had grown used to being able to hear footsteps and judge direction and location simply by the volume and sound, and even who was making them judging by their qualities.

Case in point, as he sat at the counter in the café the next day, Yusuke heard a loud thudding sound behind him on the wood flooring, which sounded a lot like footsteps, particularly footsteps that sounded like they were attempted to be done stealthily as they got closer to him.

"If you are going to put an ice cube down my shirt as a prank I suggest you do not do that." Yusuke said.

Yusuke heard Ryuji's footsteps stop in their tracks. "Man why did you have to call me out like that?" He grumbled as he sat down next to Yusuke at the counter. "How did you know it was me anyway?" He asked.

Yusuke snorted. "Anyone can tell from such loud, clumsy, and heavy footsteps that they're yours." He said.

"How you can be a stealthy thief like that is beyond me." He almost added before he remembered that Goro was sitting next to him.

Yusuke's mood instantly soured as he thought about the detective.

After he had shown up at the café the previous day, Goro had shown up again the next day, and his constant banter with Akira had been nothing short of irritating to Yusuke.

"AKIRA I'M BORED!" Ryuji whined loudly as Yusuke heard him slump over the counter.

"Well, I can't help you there Ryuji." Yusuke heard Akira say as he set a mug down on the counter. "My shift doesn't end for another hour."

That phrase only earned more grumbles from Ryuji.

"Hey if you're that bored, you're more than welcome to leave." Akira said.

As soon as Akira said that, Yusuke promptly got up and wordlessly headed toward the door

"Wait Yusuke, I'll go with you!" Yusuke heard Ryuji say as he slid off the chair and hurried after him.

"Yusuke, if you're going, you should bundle up." Akira said as Yusuke heard him walk towards him. "It's getting pretty cold out, I don't want you to get sick."

Yusuke then felt a soft woolen scarf get gently wrapped around his neck. He blushed as he realized from the comforting scent of coffee and flowers that it was Akira's.

"Thank you." Yusuke said as he blushed.

"Come on." Ryuji said, slinging his arm around Yusuke's shoulder to help guide him and proceeding to lead him out.

The two walked in silence for a while, with a sort of tense air of awkwardness around them like they were trying to avoid a touchy subject.

"Honestly I don't like that guy." Ryuji said, breaking the silence.

"I guess that's one thing we do have in common." Yusuke said.

"I mean he IS the detective trying to get us arrested." Ryuji pointed out. "He told us earlier today at the culture festival that he was going to make a huge speech about the Phantom Thieves case and everything." 

"I don't like that he's getting so friendly and close with Akira." Yusuke said.

"I agree. There's something else that’s off about that guy but I can't put a finger on just why that is." Ryuji said.

"Akira is way too trusting and I think it could be bad for him." Yusuke replied, trying to sound rational as he did.

"I just don't understand what it is Akira sees in him." He added. "Just being near them when they interact just makes me feel sick."

"Hell, if I didn't know better I'd have thought you'd have a thing for Akira given how jealous you sound." Ryuji said. He paused. "Wait hold up, do you actually have a crush on Akira???"

Yusuke choked on his own spit as he shrugged Ryuji's arm off of him in shock. "No????" Yusuke said, apalled. "Where on earth did you get such a preposterous idea like that one?"

"I mean, I'm shit at reading the mood but," Ryuji said. "You guys have gotten REALLY close these past couple of weeks and you hold hands everywhere and act pretty damn affectionate with each other for a couple of people that aren't even dating. And he tends to bring you up in a lot of our conversations. Plus he did give you his scarf." He pointed out.

Yusuke huffed as he pulled the scarf up to hide his face.

"Then again..." Ryuji said nonchalantly. "I could be wayyyyy off. I just want to make sure my best friend and his blind roomie who is also kind of my friend too don't get hurt."

"Where are we?" Yusuke asked, trying to change the subject as he started to feel more uncomfortable.

"Oh, ummmm... we're close to the train station." Ryuji said. "Is there somewhere you wanted to go?"

Yusuke shook his head. "We should probably head back." He said. "I don't think I want to leave those two alone any longer than we already have."

"Alright." Ryuji said as he slung his arm back around Yusuke and started guiding him back in the direction of the Cafe.

"Anyway, I'm just saying that if either of you need someone to play wingman for you, you know who to call." Ryuji added as he tried to get back to the previous topic.

"I'd rather not." Yusuke said coolly.

"Bro." Ryuji said with tone of fake hurt in his voice. "You wound me. Why you gotta be so cold?"

"Well, I am a bufu user." Yusuke pointed out.

"You're not wrong." Ryuji said. He paused. "Just listen, I'd rather you get with Akira than he gets with Goro." He added.

Yusuke just grunted in response. There was a silence for a while, then Ryuji broke it.

"Anyway wow, would you look at that sky!" Ryuji said in awe as Yusuke guessed he was looking upward. "It's actually kinda pretty today."

"Describe it to me." Yusuke said eagerly. "I can't see."

"Oh, it's uhhhh… Orange I guess? Its very orange." Ryuji said as he tried to find the words to describe what he was seeing.

"You're useless." Yusuke snorted.

"HEY! DON'T DRAG ME!" Ryuji retorted. "I'M JUST TRYING MY BEST!"

"Sure you are…" Yusuke replied snidely as he readjusted his dark glasses.

"Anyway…" Ryuji said as Yusuke felt him stop and open a door. "We're here."

Yusuke walked through, followed closely by Ryuji.

"Hey guys!" Akira said. "You came just in time for closing time. I was going to invite Goro up to go play some videogames, do any of you want to join?"

"I'd love to, but I probably should head home." Yusuke heard Ryuji say. "I just wanted to bring Yusuke back safely. Some other time though definitely."

"Alright." Akira replied. "I'll see you later!"

"See ya!" Ryuji said as Yusuke heard him walk out the door again.

"Anyway, Sojiro-san just texted me to go get some milk." Yusuke heard Akira say. "I'll be right back. You guys can wait here if you'd like."

"Okay, we'll do that!" Goro said cheerfully as Yusuke heard Akira's footsteps head toward the door, which opened with a chime as Akira stepped out.

An awkward silence settled itself in the atmosphere around the two boys.

"Hey…" Goro started. "Can I ask you a question?"

Yusuke could feel himself bristle at Goro's question, but he willed himself to stay calm.

"Why does it feel like you act so harsh whenever I'm around?" The detective continued.

"I just want to make it abundantly clear that I don't trust you." Yusuke said coldly. "I don't like you and I don't like whatever you could be doing to Akira."

"I really have no bad intentions for Akira." Goro said. "He's just a good friend of mine."

"I doubt that." Yusuke said incredulously. "How am I sure you're not trying to involve him with a case of yours? We already told you, we know nothing."

Yusuke heard Goro sigh dejectedly. "I guess no matter where I go people are always going to reject me simply because I'm a detective and they think I want something from them but it really does harm my ability to get close to people."

Yusuke felt his eyebrow twitch as Goro kept on talking.

"I'm sorry." Goro said.

Yusuke raised his eyebrow. "Why do you apologize?" He asked.

"I haven't always had the easiest time in making connections with people." Goro explained sadly. "My mother loved a man who wasn't good at all and as soon as he learned she was pregnant with me he threw her away and she fell really ill and eventually died. I've wandered from place to place on my own ever since. Akira is my first real friend." He said. "He's been so kind to me I don't understand what I did to deserve it."

Yusuke stopped as realized the detective was opening up to him.

"I'll admit," Yusuke began. "I too relate similarly."

"You do?" Goro asked curiously.

"I barely knew my father and my mother died when I was very young. I barely remember her at all." Yusuke recalled as he looked back on his memories. "Nearly my entire life, I lived with my mentor Madarame-sensei who taught me everything I knew about painting, but he'd teach me little else and he would barely take care of me."

"That's awful." Goro said.

"I didn't think it was. At least, not until I met Akira and he helped me realize that if I kept going the rate I was going under Madarame-sensei's tutelage, I could have died." Yusuke admitted. "Akira is my very first friend too, and he is very precious to me." Yusuke said. "He's cared for and protected me, especially when I went blind, and I want to be there for him as well."

There was a brief pause. Then Goro spoke.

"I guess we have a lot more in common than we thought." He noted. "We both have had awful childhoods and Akira is both our first friend."

"I suppose you're right." Yusuke admitted.

"Tell me, do you like him?" Goro asked.

Yusuke scoffed. "Of course I like him. He's my friend."

"I meant as something more than friends." Goro said.

"You mean like best friends? That's Ryuji's role." Yusuke responded.

"No, I meant as something even more than that." Goro replied.

Yusuke stopped as he felt the blush rise to his cheeks as he realized what Goro meant.

"D-don’t be ridiculous." Yusuke said as he turned his face away from Goro. "He's just a really important friend to me."

"Well, you may want to think that over again for a little bit." Goro said humourously. "But I'll still wish you both the best of luck anyway."

"Thanks." Yusuke said. "I guess maybe you aren't so bad after all." He added.

"Do you really think so?" Goro added cheerfully. "That means a lot to me. Thank you!"

Goro and Yusuke's heartfelt conversation was stopped when they heard the bell at the top of the door chime and Yusuke heard Akira's soft and unassuming-sounding footsteps walk through the door (Yusuke willed his heart to stay still when he heard the sound of his favorite set of footsteps on the floor.)

"Hey guys!" Akira said. "Sorry to keep you waiting. Was everything okay while I was gone?"

"Nothing bad happened if that's what you mean." Goro said.

"Awesome! I'm glad." Akira said as Yusuke heard him unzip his jacket and hang it up. "Come on, I'll take you both upstairs." Akira said as he gently took Yusuke by the hand and helped guide him up to the room above the café, with Goro following suit.

\-----

After sharing such a heartwarming moment between himself and Goro the previous day, Yusuke was more than shocked at the complete turnaround Goro showed at the school culture festival the next day.

He and the others had visited the second day of the culture festival, where Goro had said he was making a speech in front of the whole school. The speech turned massively uncomfortable for everyone once Goro started saying how he had suspicions about who the thieves were and verbally cornering Makoto in front of the whole school about it until he asked for a private room and suddenly Yusuke found himself and the others being shown into a small office.

"What did you want to talk to us about?" Makoto asked.

Yusuke heard the sound of glossed paper being thrown into the desk, which prompted several gasps from his friends.

"Those are…" Haru began.

"Those are pictures of me and Yusuke!" Anne exclaimed.

"There's a video too." Goro said. "So cut the act." He continued. "You guys can go into that world can't you?"

"You can too?" Akira asked.

"I found my way into it one day." Goro mentioned as he talked about his investigation and how he found the other world.

"I saw who killed Mr. Okumura." He said.

"Who was it?" Haru asked.

"I couldn't make out their face. They were wearing a mask." He said. "But I saw someone moving other than you guys. That person found me and suddenly started shooting. But when I told myself I couldn't die there, it awakened a power in me and suddenly my injuries were healed."

"That guy can use a persona too?" Morgana asked in wonder.

"That cat!" Goro said in awe. "It's talking!"

"That's Morgana." Ann said. "That's our friend that told us about the other world."

"I really can't believe it." Goro said. "You guys know more than I do. How do you steal hearts? I've experienced the other world but I still don't know how you steal hearts."

As Morgana explained how the hearts manifest themselves in the dungeons, Yusuke could feel a sick feeling take over his stomach.

"So how do you plan to show that we're the thieves?" He asked as Goro started talking more about how stressed this investigation was making his superiors.

"Even if we don't have any actual hard proof of the methods with Mr. Okumura's death and the thieving, your involvement would be enough to have you arrested." Goro explained.

"You're going to have us arrested???" Ryuji yelled.

"This is wrong, we didn't kill anybody!" Ann said.

"There is a way I can get around turning you in." Goro explained. "There is a lot about the other world that I don't know and I would like to know more by joining your team."

"And if we don't let you join?" Ryuji said angrily.

"Then I'll have no choice but to turn you in to the police." Goro said.

"Besides," Goro added. "This might be beneficial to you. You all are clearly down one party member so I think you need all the help you can get."

Yusuke felt his blood boil at Goro's insensitive comment but he willed himself to stay and listen.

"I'll let you join our team." Yusuke heard Akira say, abeit with a tone of regret and apprehensiveness in his voice.

"Thank you." Goro said. "So how will this work?"

As Akira began to explain, Yusuke just stormed out in anger as he dug his fingernails into the palm of his hand and tried not to think about how he felt his trust so betrayed and manipulated by Goro. This whole day was too much and In that moment Yusuke just wanted nothing more than for it to end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the delay everyone! Finals were kicking my ass and then when I got home family stuff demanded I be kept busy and on the writing front I realized I needed to restructure and reshuffle some plot points before I could get back to writing. 
> 
> I honestly had so much hope for Goro when I was watching the streams but it all got dashed as soon as people started translating it because WOW I like him as a character don't get me wrong but a lot of his behavior kind of scared me, not going to lie. I understand why he is that way but it doesn't excuse tbh. 
> 
> If anyone is mad at my portrayal of Goro I am truly sorry. Goro really does break my heart in many ways and I wished he had been given so much better. 
> 
> As soon as the anaesthetic wears off from my wisdom tooth removal procedure tomorrow I'll get straight to working on chapter 8 which I promise will be way happier.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you are still here from last chapter and to those who skipped last chapter for this one: welcome back! 
> 
> I promise No spoilers in this chapter (save for one throwaway line that isn't gamebreaking because everybody called it even before the game came out). Also something REALLY GOOD happens in this one to make up for last one. 
> 
> Anyway let's jump right into it!

The next day saw itself full of a long mementos planning session that left Yusuke feeling equal parts uncomfortable and angry what with the addition of Goro onto the team.

As if feeling emotionally toyed with and having his blindness exploited by the detective was bad enough, as Yusuke sat next to Akira during the mementos planning sessions, he could feel Goro standing and hovering behind him and Akira, often feeling the detective reach in between the both of them to place his hand on Akira's shoulder or lean in close to Akira. To Yusuke, all this touchy-feely contact with Akira from Goro was even more annoying to him than all the friendly banter, in fact it almost felt threatening, almost as if Goro was mocking him somehow and it made Yusuke angry enough to almost want to slap the detective, their previously-heartwarming bonding session a couple days ago be damned.

Which was why after the Mementos planning meeting was over on Friday, he found himself hurrying to grab his cane, readjust his dark glasses, and put on his jacket so he could go out for a walk to clear his head from everything he had just heard and felt from Goro.

As Yusuke slipped on his jacket and tried to close it up, he realized that the sleeves were starting to fit tighter on himself and that the buttons kept slipping out of their holes.

Yusuke pouted as he realized his favorite jacket wasn't fitting anymore as the buttons refused to close. He poked at his stomach and realized that it felt slightly squishier than he had last remembered it. He had no idea when he had gained weight but he figured it had a lot to do with the fact that Akira made sure he was eating at least three meals a day and with Akira's cooking being as amazing as it is, that was quite an easy task. Still, as he tried to suck in his stomach so he could button up his jacket, he found he just couldn't anymore.

"Hey Yusuke," he heard Ann say as she walked up from behind him. "Having a little trouble getting that jacket buttoned up?"

Yusuke sighed. "Admittedly yes." He said. "No matter what I do they can't seem to fit. I think I must have gained a lot of weight."

"I mean, you're still pretty skinny." Ann commented. "But I can see why you'd think you've gained a lot. You know what I think you need?" She asked.

Yusuke thought for an answer but he came up blank.

"A big shopping spree!" Ann said gleefully. "I think it's time we updated your wardrobe." She said.

Yusuke paused. "That sounds nice." He admitted. "But I barely have any money of my own to spend on such things like clothes."

"Hey don't worry about it." Ann said dismissively. "Me and the rest of the girls were planning on heading to the mall right now, you should come join us, everything will be on us girls don't you worry." She added as she placed a firm grip on his arm and he heard her confident-yet-laidback sounding footsteps on the floor as she led him out the door of the cafe before he could say anything in protest.

The rest of the girls were waiting outside as Ann took Yusuke with her and cheerfully explained that they were going to go take Yusuke shopping for a new wardrobe, which everyone agreed with before they all walked to the station and got on the train to the mall.

Once they arrived at the mall, the girls wasted no time in rushing Yusuke into changing room after changing room as they all brought him what felt like hundreds of hangers of clothes to try on so he could show off in front of them, earning comment after comment from his friends along the way.

"Those pants make your ass look banging." Ann commented approvingly. "Definitely keep these."

"Futaba no what are you trying to do getting him that Macklemore jacket?? Are you TRYING to make him look like a 90's pimp?" Ann scolded. "Put it back."

"That black button-up jacket looks smart. It fits you, you should definitely keep it." Makoto said.

"That knit sweater looks comfy. You should get it." Futaba added.

"That blazer looks fantastic! It's so you." Haru commented. "I'm paying for that and the rest of this..."

\-----

While standing in the checkout line at the fifth store they visited, Yusuke felt his stomach growl from hunger as he overheard Makoto arguing with Haru about her spending habits in relation to the shopping trip for the umpteenth time.

"I don't know how many times I have to say this Haru but I am NOT letting you spend over 45,000 yen on this shopping trip alone, let me and Ann pay for some of this." Makoto said sternly.

"Absolutely not Makoto, I'm paying for Yusuke's clothes as well as any purchases me, you, Ann, and Futaba want to make too." Haru insisted.

"Haru no." Makoto interjected.

"Consider this one of those 'treat yo'self' Days Ann always talks about." Haru replied nonchalantly.

"Why are you so stubborn about this?" Makoto said exasperatedly as Yusuke heard Haru swipe her credit card and punch in her pin.

"Because you are my friends and I love you all so much!" Haru said cheerfully as Yusuke heard her grab the shopping bags and hand a couple over to him

"I'M HUNGRY." Futaba whined after they stepped out of the store. "Can we go get some food?"

"There's a food court upstairs." Makoto said. "I feel like maybe we should take a break and grab something to eat. What do you say, Yusuke?"

Yusuke felt his stomach growl loudly once more as he thought about the promise of food. He nodded. "That sounds wonderful." He said. "Let's go eat."

The group made their way to the food court and found themselves a table before Haru and Futaba offered to hold their spots while Ann, Makoto and Yusuke went to go grab food, gossiping the whole time while Yusuke listened in until they sat back down at the table, where the topic turned to Mementos Dungeon mishaps as Haru and Futaba got up to go get food.

"And then," Ann said as she recounted a story for Yusuke, trying so hard to contain her laughter. "Makoto just tripped in the middle of her Marin Karin-induced rush and fell face-first into Haru's boobs!"

"Ann no don't tell him that!" Makoto practically shouted, the indignation heavy in her voice.

"Admit it!" Ann snorted. "You enjoyed it! Your crush DOES have a nice pair of boobs so I'm honestly kinda jealous."

"E-ENOUGH!" Makoto huffed. "I don't know why you're so focused on my love life, why don't we focus on somebody else's… Yusuke how are things going with Akira?"

Yusuke spat out his drink. "What are you talking about?" He spluttered. "Where is everybody getting the idea that I have feelings for Akira?"

"You two hold hands every time you go out together." Makoto pointed out.

"That's because having him as my guide is way more reliable than my cane!" Yusuke interjected.

"Don't you guys share the same bed?" Ann asked.

"Th-that's because the couch is small and uncomfortable!"

"Your face turns pink whenever you're with him--" Makoto added.

"Oh are we talking about Yusuke and Akira?" Haru said as Yusuke heard her return to the table and gently place her tray of food down.

"Heck yeah we are." Ann said.

"I thought he and Akira are already dating and they just didn't want to officially tell us?" Haru replied. "Which I'm honestly hurt about by the way about you keeping secrets like that from us."

"See what I mean???" Ann said.

Yusuke huffed. "I don't have a crush on him. My heart just happens to beat faster whenever he's close to me. And when I'm with him, I feel warm and happy inside, like the way having a bowl of his curry on a cold day does to me." He said. "He's just a very important friend to me and I want to protect and take care of him the same way he does for me."

"You literally just described the definition of a crush." Futaba said.

"Admit it." Ann said. "You have a crush on Akira."

"Okay fine." Yusuke said in defeat as he thought back to everything Ryuji and even Goro had said. "But that doesn't mean he likes me back. He probably just sees me as a friend! He's too perfect to go for someone like me."

"Oh honey." Ann said. "You have no idea how wrong you are."

"I really wish you could see the looks he gives you whenever you both hold hands." Haru said dreamily. "They're so tender and loving. I wish someone could look at me like that."

Makoto responded with a muffled strangled noise which prompted a confused "What?" From Haru and a laugh from Ann and Futaba.

"Let's not forget," Ann pointed out, quickly reverting the topic to the previous conversation. "Whenever he's talking with us and you're not around or whenever he's texting us, he mentions you pretty often."

"His face kinda gets this low-key dopey expression whenever you do something silly or that he finds 'cute'." Futaba added. "And I should mention that he HAS referred to you as 'cute' to us."

"His face also turns pink whenever you hold his hand too." Makoto said.

"Just trust us, he definitely has a crush on you." Ann said. "And if I were you, I'd get on that soon before he changes his mind and possibly goes for a certain detective."

Yusuke's heart sank as he realized Ann was referencing Goro.

"Sometimes I wonder if it maybe is too late. He already let Goro onto the team and Goro likes to act all touchy-feely with him even though he had wished me good luck with Akira." He said sadly.

"I mean right now Akira still seems to be friendzoning him a lot." Ann said. "He kind of tenses up and seems a little uncomfortable whenever Goro is near or tries to get close which is understandable given what he did a couple days ago."

"You might want to take advantage of that quick before Akira DOES have a change of heart about Goro though." Futaba said as she slurped at her smoothie.

"I don't even know how to tell him." Yusuke admitted. "It's not like I've ever had any experience with relationships before. Akira is the first person I've ever liked in this way."

"Honestly," Ann said, placing her hand on his back. "The best way to do this is just be honest and tell him upfront. The worst he could say is 'No' and even then that's unlikely given what we've seen from his behavior towards you."

Yusuke took a deep breath to calm himself. Then slowly exhaled. "I suppose you're right." He said. "That still doesn't make me any less nervous about this."

"You'll do fine Yusuke!" Haru said cheerfully.

"Yeah and if you need an extra confidence booster or incentive, I did get you a little present while you, Futaba and Makoto went shopping for sweaters." Ann said as Yusuke felt her place a bag in his hands.

"Is this…" Yusuke began as he reached inside past the tissue paper gift wrap and felt soft, lacy fabric under his fingertips, causing the heat to rise to his face.

"Victoria's Secret was having a huge sale on lingerie sets, I couldn't help myself." Ann said. "I just HAD to get you something from there."

"Th-thank you." Yusuke stuttered as he felt his face flush in embarrassment. "This is… really nice of you."

"Don't mention it!" She said cheekily. "Hopefully this might help give you and Akira some ideas." She continued and even though Yusuke couldn't see her, he KNEW she had just said that with a wink.

"Ann, I still think that lingerie set is a little unnecessary." Makoto said. "It'll just turn into a waste of money."

"Oh no give it some time." Ann said reassuringly. "I'm sure those two will find SOME use for it."

"And if not, it's still good for feeling cute on your own or when you want to model for yourself in front of the mirror at 3 in the morning." Haru said absentmindedly.

There was an awkward pause from everyone at the table.

"What?" Haru asked embarassedly. "It's what I do since I don't have anybody to show mine off to."

"Oh Haru." Ann laughed. "Give it time, I'm sure there's somebody out there who would LOVE to see you like that." Yusuke could have sworn she was waggling her eyebrows at Makoto as she said that because Makoto only ended up giving a surprised squeak in response to that phrase that prompted more laughter from Ann and more confused-sounding noises from Haru.

After they all finished eating, everyone went for another round of shopping, this time to help get Futaba some more suitable winter clothes before everyone decided to go home.

While everyone went their own separate ways after saying goodbye, Ann went with Yusuke to drop him home safely at the cafe before she herself went home, wishing Yusuke both "goodnight" and a "good luck" before she did so before Yusuke thanked her once more, stepping through the door and heading upstairs.

\-----

“Hey Yusuke.” Akira said as Yusuke stepped through the door. “You look amazing. Did Ann and the others take you shopping while I was at work?”

Yusuke nodded. “Yes.” He responded as he set the enormous shopping bags down on the ground. “They took me out to the mall and got me a new wardrobe since my old clothes were starting to not fit anymore.”

“Wow.” Akira breathed. “You guys really did a good job picking out clothes.”

Yusuke blushed. “Thank you.” He said, almost stammering as he did so. “I can show you the rest tomorrow but right now I’m really tired.” He said as he felt the drowsiness set in.

“I understand.” Akira said gently. “Come lie down.” He said.

Yusuke got changed into his pajamas, neatly folding his newly-purchased clothes and placing them in one of the bags with the rest of his purchases before he climbed into bed next to Akira and removed his dark glasses to place them on the nightstand.

Yusuke suddenly felt overcome by the need to reach out and feel Akira’s face for its details. He wanted to feel what expression he could have on his face as he had admired him in his new clothes.

“Is it okay if I felt your face?” Yusuke asked.

“Of course.” Akira said.

Immediately, Yusuke gently pressed his hands onto the other boy’s face as he held his face close to his own and gently felt the details, from his eyebrows to his soft eyelashes to his squishy cheeks to his cute nose and especially to the cute cupids-bow shape of his mouth, which he found himself repeatedly running his fingers along the outline of as he felt around his face.

“You tend to feel my face a lot.” Akira commented as Yusuke traced over his eyebrows once more.

“Is that a bad thing?” Yusuke asked as his fingers traced gently over Akira’s nose.

“No.” Akira responded. “I just don’t think I’ve seen you do this with any of our other teammates as often as you do with me.”

Yusuke smiled. “I can’t help that I want to feel my favorite face so much.” He said as he passed his thumbs gently over Akira’s lips once, then twice before he rested them on Akira’s cheeks, which were dimpling from the smile he was making in response to Yusuke’s comment.

“Th-thanks.” Yusuke heard Akira say shyly as he himself felt his own heart pound hearing his crush's soft voice.

Everything about Akira was so close and so comforting to him. Yusuke could smell the sweet scent of coffee and flowers on Akira’s clothes and feel his warm breath on his lips. Akira was so close, it was overwhelming, he wanted to reach for him, pull him closer, melt into him…

As their lips met, Yusuke felt Akira’s eyes widen in shock before they slowly fluttered closed as he sighed dreamily and kissed him back, tangling his fingers into Yusuke’s hair as he did. Yusuke’s heart was pounding so much it felt like it was going to burst from how much it felt like it was swelling with affection. Yusuke could practically feel himself melting into Akira’s embrace as they kissed. The kiss itself was slow, sweet, chaste, and gentle, almost like neither wanted to ruin the delicate air of the moment by going further but neither wanted the moment to end, but eventually they would have to separate to breathe.  
Akira slowly pulled away as Yusuke felt the corners of Akira’s eyes crinkle as his lips turned up into a smile.

“You don’t know just how long I’ve wanted to do that.” Akira whispered, leaning in slightly to rub his nose against Yusuke’s as he wrapped his arms around his waist.

“I Hope it wasn’t too long.” Yusuke said, pressing his forehead against Akira’s and smiling.

“Just ever since the day I met you.” Akira admitted. “Even if it was a weird first encounter, I’m glad it happened and I got to know you, even if it seemed like half my attempts to flirt with you went unnoticed. I just didn’t say anything about it because I didn’t want to seem like I was pressuring you into anything.”

“Then I’m sorry it took me so long to figure out that I like you.” Yusuke said, feeling as though a great weight had been lifted off his chest.

“I guess it goes without saying then that I like you.” Akira said, quietly laughing and gently giving Yusuke another peck. “And I like you a lot.”

“I… I like you too.” Yusuke said, his face feeling like it was burning even though He felt light, happy, and free. Akira liked him. Akira actually liked him back. Where does he even go from here?

“What do we do now?” Yusuke asked. After all, it wasn’t like he had any experience with relationships at all. He barely had any experience with knowing what love felt like, what with him having lived with a neglectful person like Madarame for so long.

“Well do you want to continue this?” Akira asked.

“Do you mean, as a relationship?” Yusuke asked.

“Yeah.” Akira said. “Like a relationship.”

“Of course.” Yusuke said. “I’ve never been more sure about anything as much as I have about wanting to be your boyfriend.” He whispered. He wanted so much more of this. He wanted Akira’s kisses and affection. He wanted his soft gentle touches. He wanted more tender moments like this. He wanted all of this.

“I’m glad.” Akira said as he nuzzled his face in the crook of Yusuke’s neck. “Because I’ve really wanted to date you for a long time and it feels so good to hear you reciprocate it.”

He tightened his embrace around Yusuke and Yusuke complied by snuggling close and burying his nose in Akira’s hair, breathing in the comforting scent of coffee, flowers, and his shampoo as he felt his eyelids start to get heavy with sleep.

As Yusuke dozed off in the warm comfort of Akira’s embrace that night, he couldn’t help but smile as he felt the happiness in every part of himself at knowing that Akira returned his feelings, that Akira liked him back, that he was Akira’s boyfriend now. He tangled his hands through Akira's hair as he leaned in once more to sleepily press a soft kiss to his lover's forehead and whisper “Sweet Dreams” before he himself dozed off into a peaceful slumber.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact:  
> The confession scene was one of the first paragraphs I ever wrote for this AU and I'm so glad I can FINALLY publish it.  
> I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it because the entire time I wrote that scene I was almost dying from the warm fuzzies. 
> 
> I also realized we're getting pretty close to Christmas and so I'll be pretty busy with home life and family stuff so if I'm working on fics ill be dedicating time to "Painted" and any one-shots I had planned since I've been neglecting those projects for a while since I had a lot of plot bunnies for this fic recently.
> 
> Tbh I actually had a Christmas Chapter planned for this fic but I realized I didn't have anything written for it and it's at least 5 chapters out from here because of plot reasons so you might end up getting a Christmas Chapter on Valentine's Day for all we know lmao So to make up for that I just wanted to let you all know to Consider anything (be it one-shots, or new chapters in "Painted" or even this fic if I do get time for it) published between now and Christmas as my gift to you all for being such amazing and supportive readers! <3
> 
> Anyway, I'll see you all next chapter (which will hopefully be published by the New Year)! So Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays to all of you! ❤


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yusuke and Akira go on their first date and Yusuke gains an unexpected inspiration.

The next day, Yusuke was woken up early by the sound of Akira's phone buzzing with text notification after text notification. He was extremely reluctant to move himself out of Akira's embrace to turn it off but when Akira got up to check his texts, he sat up alongside him.

"Who was it?" Yusuke asked as he sat up and gently wrapped his arms around Akira from behind.

"It was Ann." Akira said as Yusuke heard Akira click the phone off before he leaned into the embrace.

"What was she saying?" Yusuke asked. "Ann's normally not the sort to wake up this early."

"She found out about... us. Somehow." Akira responded.

"Wait... what???" Yusuke said as he felt his eyes widen in shock.

"Here, let me read the text log she sent me." Akira said as Yusuke heard him click his phone on.

“She said, ‘I heard about what happened last nite.’” Akira read out loud. “And I should mention she put a winky-face emoji after that.”

“Of course.” Yusuke said. “Ann wouldn’t be Ann without texting with the Winking face.”

“I responded with ‘What do you think happened last night?”’ Akira continued. “She replied with a ‘Don’t play dumb, I kno what happened btwn u & Yusuke. Congrats!’ and then she sent an emoji with a champagne bottle being uncorked.”

“How did she find out though?” Yusuke asked in confusion. “We didn’t tell anyone about us yet.”

“That’s what I asked her.” Akira replied. “But she just answered with a ‘I got my sources...’ Followed by another winking emoji.”

“That’s strange.” Yusuke commented as he leaned his chin on Akira’s shoulder.

“When I asked her who and what the sources were she just said ‘I’m no snitch. All I wanted to Do was congratulate you.’ And then she said, ‘Anyway I’ll see ya at school.”

“I just have more questions than answers now.” Yusuke said. “But at least she approves of us together, not that I would have doubted she would.”

“You’re right.” Akira said as he clicked his phone off and pressed a kiss to Yusuke’s temple before he moved to climb out of bed. “No point in asking questions now though. We should probably get up and get ready. I’ll go make us some breakfast.”

Yusuke pouted. “It’s still early.” He said. “Why can’t we just lie here and cuddle?”

Akira gently laughed as he took Yusuke's hand and squeezed it. “We can do that later tonight.” He promised. “But if we cuddle now, we may fall asleep again and then we’ll oversleep and be late for school.”

Yusuke continued to pout, still not convinced by Akira’s reasoning.

“And waking up earlier does give me more time to make a better breakfast for us.” Akira added.

Yusuke perked up at that as he heard his stomach growl. “Okay. I can definitely agree to that.” He said.

“I’m glad.” Akira said as he felt Akira gently lean to move aside his hair from his forehead and press a soft kiss to it before he turned and walked towards the door and down the stairs.

Yusuke laid in bed for a little while longer before he got up and went to go get changed before he headed downstairs.

~~~~~

"Hey man, congrats!" Ryuji said as he walked over towards Akira and Yusuke as the two walked hand-in-hand into class 2-D before Yusuke felt Ryuji sling his arm around Akira’s shoulder and affectionately punch him in the shoulder before they all walked over to Akira’s desk where the others were waiting.

"Wait we didn't tell you anything?" Akira said in confusion as he sat down in his seat and let go of Yusuke's hand. “I mean, thanks but also where is everyone finding out about me and Yusuke?”

“It was all over Futaba’s twitter last night!” Ryuji responded as Yusuke heard him click on his phone. “Here, you read it.”

“’Inari's still in denial he's gay at our barista. Cliche af coffee shop IRL story.’” Akira read out loud. “And then she followed it up with an emoji made up of a Dash, an underscore, another dash and a quotation mark all sandwiched between two parentheses to look like a face.” He continued as he described the Emoji for Yusuke to visualize. “Were you guys talking about me yesterday?”

“We might have…” Ann said cryptically. ‘But that’s not important right now. Just keep reading.”

“’Fyi detective's still on the run. Poll's still up. Update l8r.’” Akira continued. “Wait…detective? You all mean Goro right? Was there like a betting pool or something to see who I’d pick? Really guys?”

“We almost set up a betting pool but after the culture festival incident we scrapped it.” Ann said. “Forget that though, just keep reading.”

“Okay, fine.” Akira said as he started to read once more.

“’Akira just cmplimented Inari on his new clothes.’” Akira read. “’I feel rlly proud of the wrk me and the others did.’ And then she put a blushing smiling emoji after that.”

“INARI FNLLY CONFESSED! THIS IS REAL IT’S HAPPENING!” He continued reading. “’Tbh this is so sweet my teeth r rotting.’” He read before he paused for a while, and then finally continued reading. Yusuke could practically imagine the shade of pink Akira’s face must have been as he read those comments, which couldn’t be any pinker than his own at that very moment.

  
"Tho they didnt fk, they r nw canon. Detective supporters, bttr lck in the afterlife." Akira finally read out loud, the embarrassment evident in his voice.

“H-how did she even know about this in real time?” Yusuke asked as he felt his cheeks heat up even more in response to hearing what was essentially a public liveblog of his confession to Akira. In that moment, he knew his face had gone from pink to red.

“I don’t know.” Akira said. “I’m just as confused as you are.”

“Do you think she could have bugged the café again?” Makoto pointed out. “She isn’t called the ‘genius hacker’ for nothing you know.”

Akira groaned. “She probably did.” He said exasperatedly. “I guess I’m going to have to talk to her about this later. Even though I THOUGHT we talked about the whole privacy thing already.”

“Still though, congratulations!” Haru said cheerfully.

“Have you figured out where you guys are going to go for your first date?” Ann inquired.

“Not that I know of yet.” Akira said as he reached his hand out to take Yusuke’s and gently squeeze it. “But I have been thinking of a couple places I could take Yusuke tomorrow once I’m off work.” He paused one more. “If it’s alright with you.” He said to Yusuke.

“O-of course.” Yusuke stuttered in response. “I’m excited to see what you have in mind.”

“Well, if you guys need help with money to make a good date, feel free to hit us up.” Ann said. “Ryuji owes each of us girls 2000 yen.” She explained. “He lost the betting pool.”

“You don’t need to remind me of how broke I am now because of you guys.” Ryuji grumbled.

“I thought you said there wasn’t a betting pool.” Akira said amusedly.

“Not about whether you would go for Yusuke or Goro.” Ann said. “But we did set one up about when Yusuke would confess to you. Ryuji bet that Yusuke probably wouldn’t for at least another month and we said within the next week.”

“I am truly at a loss for words.” Yusuke said. “I didn’t think my love life was THAT interesting to all of you—”  
  
“Alright, Everyone out.” Yusuke heard Kawakami-sensei say. “Class is about to start.”

Yusuke felt Akira quickly take his hand and pull him down so he could press a kiss to his cheek before he let go and felt Ryuji sling his arm around him and guide him towards their classroom, the whole time, Yusuke dreamily touched the spot on his cheek where his boyfriend had kissed him as he smiled internally.

~~~~~

After school and extracurriculars were over for the day, everyone met up outside the school before they headed back to the café to meet up with Goro for another Mementos planning session.

In all honesty, Yusuke had no idea just how to prepare himself to tell the detective that he was romantically involved with Akira, but he soon realized that wouldn’t be necessary as he stopped sensing and feeling Goro’s gestures of touchy-feely affection towards Akira that he had sensed in previous meetings, and although it seemed like it should have been a relief to him, all it ended up feeling like was that there was a potential threat of confrontation looming.

Sure enough, after the meeting was over and Akira left to go talk to Futaba downstairs about the bugs in the café, Yusuke felt Goro sit down next to him.

“Congratulations.” He said, his cheerful-sounding voice sounding a little bit TOO cheerful, almost to the point where it seemed artificial and sinister. “You won.”

“I’m assuming you’re saying this in reference to mine and Akira’s relationship.” Yusuke said in reply. “But thank you.”

“Clearly you have proven yourself superior in his eyes.” Goro said as the icy tone crept into his voice.

“In all honesty, I didn’t quite think we were in much of a contest for his affections until very recently.” Yusuke said. “You had me believing for a while that you were actually supportive of us being together.”

“They always say it’s in good form to wish your competitor good luck.” Goro said. “Although I thought you would have needed it a whole lot more with Akira than I would have.” He said dismissively.

Yusuke felt his eyes narrow from behind his dark glasses. “Explain.” He said icily.

“Honestly, I’m sure Akira and I have way more in common than you do with him.” Goro said with a hint of cocky arrogance creeping into his voice. “I feel this connection to him, like maybe he and I were supposed to have met a long time ago. Like maybe we were meant for each other.”

“How does that have anything to do with Akira liking you back though?” Yusuke pointed out. “All you’ve said are your feelings toward him.”

“Yeah, but you’ve seen it in the way Akira and I interact, haven’t you?” Goro said. “We converse and banter so naturally and we always seem to work well together in the mementos planning sessions..”

Yusuke grit his teeth in aggravation at the detective's words. It was getting on his last nerve.

“Well, maybe ‘Different’ is what Akira might need.” He responded. “Maybe Akira doesn’t want someone who is like him. Maybe he needs someone who he can be a friend to and confide in and get support from without also being used, blackmailed and toyed with to fulfill their own wishes and motives. And you know what? The fact that he chose me proves he likes me better than you.”

Yusuke paused. He had truly had had enough with the detective. “I trusted you, you know.” Yusuke said. “I thought we could be friends and then you went ahead and toyed with my emotions, exploited my blindness, and overall made me feel awful. And guess what, Akira is very loyal to his friends and cares about them. He does not take kindly to people doing what you did to me.”

“Well I’m sorry you were offended.” Goro said as Yusuke felt him get up from his seat. “Anyway, I should get going. I guess I’ll see you on Sunday before the Mementos mission.” He continued as Yusuke heard his footsteps walk toward the door. “Goodbye.”

Yusuke didn’t respond as he heard Goro’s footsteps descend down the stairs and he heard a muffled “See you later Goro!” from Akira before he heard the bell at the top of the door chime to announce his departure.

Yusuke got up to go retrieve his homework from his bag before he went downstairs and sat down next to Akira at the counter.

~~~~~

Yusuke spent nearly the entirety of the next day eagerly waiting for Akira to come home from his shift at the flower shop so he could go on his date with him, eagerly counting down the hours, the minutes, the seconds until Akira came back to pick him up. Hours ago, he had gone ahead and picked out his outfit from the new clothes that the girls had bought for him, choosing a nice button up-jacket and the pair of pants Ann had said made his butt look “banging”. He had hoped he’d look good enough for the date, especially considering he didn’t really know what he looked like anymore, but there were times where he felt like he was nervous enough to call up Ann and ask her for advice but he figured If he did that, all Ann would really say in response would be something along the lines of “Just be yourself and have fun, he already really likes you.” Still it’s one thing to be told that but it’s still another for it to actually help ease his nerves. What if he did something that would make Akira change his mind? What if he said something that would absolutely disgust or annoy him?

Shoving those thoughts out of his head, He nervously combed through his hair for the fifth time in a one-hour period before he tried to distract himself once more with his Tenji materials. No sense in wasting time fretting when he could use it to get some work done.

It continued on like this for several hours until Akira finally came back to the café to pick up Yusuke and drop off Morgana.

“Hey Yusuke.” Akira said as he took Yusuke by the hand while Yusuke heard Morgana hop out of Akira’s bag with a soft thud.

“Hello Akira.” Yusuke said as he tried to calm the butterflies in his stomach.

“You look nice.” Akira commented. “Like, really nice.” He added. He cleared his throat nervously. “Are you ready to go?”

Yusuke nodded as he smiled happily. “I’ve been ready the entire day.” He said.

“Great!” Akira said as he briefly kissed Yusuke’s cheek. “Let’s go. We don’t want to be late.” He said as he led Yusuke out the door of the café.

~~~~~

After a couple of train rides, Akira and Yusuke finally stepped out from the train station and out into the chilly Autumn air. Yusuke shivered a little bit as Akira squeezed his hand.

“We're almost there.” Akira promised.

“Where are you taking me?” Yusuke asked.

“You'll find out soon.” Akira said.

In a matter of minutes, Akira led Yusuke through a door, out of the cold and into a warm room filled with the crowded chatter of several voices and the clink of plates and utensils being moved around.

“You took me to a restaurant?” Yusuke said.

“Well, this is just one of the places I’m taking you to today.” Akira said. “And I figured you’d be hungry so I might as well take you out somewhere nice.” He explained. “I know you like seafood, so I thought I’d take you put to a nice sushi place.”

Yusuke blushed. “Thank you Akira.” He said.

“Table for two please!” Yusuke heard Akira say, and soon they were seated in a cozy booth. The warm air inside the restaurant along with the soft, plushy seats he was seated on was a welcome change from the cold he and Akira had walked through.

After the server brought them their menus, Yusuke started feeling around on it before he realized that the menus weren’t written in tenji.

“Akira, could you please help me out with the menu?” Yusuke said. “I can’t read mine.” He said sheepishly.

“Oh!” Akira exclaimed in surprise. “Of course.” He said as he took the menu from Yusuke’s hands as he started reading it out loud.

“Was there anything you were feeling in particular?” Yusuke heard Akira ask.

Yusuke shook his head. Then he thought a little bit, and nodded his head.

“I was thinking tuna.” He said.

“Okay.” Akira said. “What do you have in mind? They’ve got yellowtail, and tuna belly—“

“Tuna Belly.” Yusuke said eagerly. “I want the tuna belly.”

“Alright.” Akira chuckled. “I guess we’re ready to order because I know what I want.”

After Akira had called over the waitress and placed his order, he and Yusuke casually made small talk and soon their food was brought to them.

“Wait, what did you order again?” Yusuke asked curiously as he snapped his chopsticks apart.

“I got the Unagi roll.” Akira said. “Do you want to try one? Here, open up.”

Yusuke did as he was told and the next thing he knew Akira had placed a roll of sushi into his mouth

Yusuke closed his mouth and chewed, savoring salty-sweet sauce and the texture of the Unagi and the slightly-sour vinegar taste of the sushi rice before he finally swallowed.

“That’s really good” Yusuke said as he smiled. “You should have some of mine.” He said as he pushed his plate slightly towards Akira.

~~~~~

They spent the next hour or so eating and chatting with their conversation topics varying from how their day went to gossip to even hilarious stories from their pasts whenever the situation brought up an opportunity. Yusuke was having a good time, but soon Akira asked for the bill and paid up before he left, leading Yusuke out by the hand and into the cold.

“Where are we going to now?” Yusuke asked curiously as he did a brief swipe of his surroundings with his cane before he shivered from the chilly evening air.

“I’m still keeping that a surprise.” Akira said cheekily as Yusuke felt him gently wrap his scarf around the both of them.

Yusuke pouted, earning a kiss to his cheek from Akira as Akira kept leading him through the streets. As he kept walking, he started to notice the sounds and smells of the city starting to get more and more distant. He noticed the sweet smell of flowers and felt the crunch of leaves under his feet.

“Are we walking through a park?” Yusuke asked curiously as he poked his cane at what felt likoe a light post.

“Not quite.” Akira said. “The next place I’m taking you to has a garden you have to walk through in order to get to the door.”

“Ah.” Yusuke said in understanding, although quite curious as to where Akira was taking him now. “What kind of flowers are blooming here?” He asked. “It’s the end of October, I would have thought everything was dying.”

“Well, these sunflowers here aren’t.” Akira said as he squeezed Yusuke’s hand. “They’re still as bright and yellow as their namesake. And these ones are quite large, they’re almost as big as my face.” Akira added as he continued to describe the flower for Yusuke to visualize.

Yusuke nodded. “That sounds like a big flower.” He said. He paused as he briefly sniffed the air. “Do I smell roses?” He asked.

“Yeah.” Akira said. “And lots of them. They're unfurling their petals right now so the entire garden is full of pink and red blooms.” He said. “We have some roses that are as pink as Haru’s sweater and we have some that are as red as my gloves in my Other Form.” He said. “They also have purple roses here, which are the same color as that button-up you always wear in the summer.”

Yusuke felt Akira lean in closer to him. “And honestly, I LOVE seeing you in that shirt. I think you look really handsome in it.” He said. “But you’re handsome all the time.” He said as he pressed a kiss to Yusuke’s cheek.

Yusuke felt his face heat up as his heart beat faster in response to Akira’s flirting. “Akira!” He exclaimed. “Don’t say such things.” He said as he turned his face away from Akira in an attempt to keep him from blushing in response to the overload of affection he was feeling in his heart. “W-what other flowers are there?” He asked, redirecting the topic.

“We also have Irises in bloom.” Akira said. “And they’re all as blue as your hair is. It’s quite a pretty shade if you ask me.” He continued. “I almost want to pluck a couple of these and give them to you.” He admitted. “But I’m worried that if we bring them into where we’re going we might get kicked out for vandalizing their garden.”

“Just where exactly are we going?” Yusuke inquired once more, pulling Akira’s scarf up higher to hide his face as it blushed deeper at Akira’s newest compliment.

“Your question will be answered very soon.” Akira said as he felt Akira stop walking next to him and he suddenly felt a gust of warm air as Yusuke realized Akira had opened a door, which he proceeded to lead him through.

Akira didn’t answer as Yusuke felt Akira stop in front of what felt like a ticket booth and paid for two tickets before they both walked away.

“Enjoy your time here at the art museum!” Yusuke heard the ticket booth attendant say.

“So you took me to an art museum?” Yusuke asked, thoroughly confused. “Akira you know I can’t see anymore.”

Akira squeezed Yusuke’s hand as he unwrapped the scarf that was around them. “Trust me.” He said reassuringly as he kissed Yusuke's nose. “You’ll understand soon. But come on.” He said as he took Yusuke by the hand again and gently led him into a gallery.

~~~~~

The next hour and a half was spent walking through the galleries as Akira described what he saw in each painting in vivid detail to Yusuke while the latter would eagerly ask more questions as to what the art style looked like or how the linework was done and occasionally Akira would read off the description off the plaques of certain pieces of art.

Eventually, they walked into a new gallery and came to stand in front of what Akira described as “Having vibrant colors and extremely-defined lines and shapes.”

“That’s quite interesting.” Yusuke commented. “Who is the artist?”

“I believe that would be me.” Yusuke heard a strange older male voice say before Akira could read off of the plaque.”

“Who are you?” Yusuke asked.

“I’m Katsuro Hashimoto.” The man said. “I’m the artist behind all the works in this gallery.”

Yusuke’s eyes widened. “Wait,” He said. “THE Katsuro Hashimoto?” He asked. “You’re only the most famous blind painter in all of Japan!” He exclaimed, quickly bowing to the older man, even though he knew there wasn’t really much use in carrying out that action as the other man couldn’t see him anyway.

“Well, that’s putting things in terms that are a little bit too flattering.” Hashimoto said. “But I am glad you’ve heard of me enough to come see my work especially on the opening night of my exhibit.”

“I don’t think ‘see’ is quite the best term to put it in.” Yusuke explained. “Because I’m blind like you as well.”

Hashimoto gasped as the realization hit him. “Well, I hope you’re enjoying the experience of my painting all the same.” He said.

Yusuke nodded. “Trust me, Hashimoto-san.” He said. “It is truly an honor to be in the presence of such a fine work.”

“If I may ask,” Hashimoto began. “Earlier I overheard you talking about one of the other paintings in the previous gallery and I couldn’t help but notice you were using terminology that only people who have heavily studied art would use.” He continued. “Are you an art student by any chance?”

Yusuke paused. “I WAS an art student,” He began as he started to feel a little sad recounting the past couple of months. “I’m Yusuke Kitagawa. I was one of Madarame-sensei's pupils until after his arrest.” Yusuke said as he introduced himself.

“Ah, Madarame.” Hashimoto said disdainfully. “That’s a name I don’t think I can quite respect anymore. But his pupils have all gone on to create amazing works from what I heard.” He paused.

“Well, I don’t think I can be quite counted as one of them, I’m afraid.” Yusuke said. “After his arrest, I was living on my own trying to make a living off of my paintings until I lost my eyesight in an accident. I haven’t picked up a paintbrush since. I don’t think I can paint anymore.”

“Let me let you in on a little secret.” Hashimoto said. “Anyone can paint.” He said. “Even the blind. If you need proof, there’s me, there’s people like my colleague John Bramblitt in America, or Keith Salmon, or Sergej Popolsin. All of us found our own way to paint. And if you really put your mind to it, if you REALLY want to, so can you.”

Yusuke’s eyes widened in response to the painter’s words. “B-but how?” He asked. “Where do I start? How does one start painting when they have no sight?”

“Well, that’s when one learns to get creative.” Hashimoto pointed out. “Our inspirations are all around us, we have no shortage of material to paint, and without our sight, our other senses strengthen to accommodate for us to provide us with details to paint. You’ve noticed it with your cane I’m sure, how when you touch it against something it gives you the general, shape and size of the object it hits or when you run your hands along something, your brain starts to fill in the details.”

Yusuke nodded as he thought back to all the times he used his cane or felt his friends' faces. “You’re right.” Yusuke said. “How do you transfer that from your brain to your canvas? How do you know what you’re painting so actually turn out the way you want it?”

“I’m not going to lie, no matter what you do, the first several times you try, you’re probably going to not be satisfied with the outcome. Shapes might not turn out the way you want to, or you might run off the edge of the canvas, and your friends might say your color schemes are a little bizarre” Hashimoto said. “But there is also no shortage of ways to provide a means to counter that once you get a hang of painting free-hand. For instance, I spread a thin layer of platicine on my canvas to create outlines for shapes I want to fill in, like in this painting of a tree here. But others have freehanded, used textured brush strokes, or used push-pins to create outlines to fill in that they later remove.” He explained.

Yusuke blinked. “I’m not quite sure I know what you mean.” He said. “How about colors? How do you know what you’re mixing?”

“Again, I rely on my sense of touch, but also my sense of smell when it comes to paint.” Hashimoto said. “I find that each paint color has its own slightly distinctive scent and physical feel to it due to the different pigment and chemical makeup.” He paused. “Here, let me show you.” He said as he reached and took Yusuke’s hand and placed it on the painting.

Yusuke’s eyes widened as he realized he was touching a painting, and not only that, he was touching a painting made by a famous blind artist right in the middle of a museum. “W-wait.” He said nervously. “Are you sure you’re okay with letting me touch your painting???”

“Pfft it’s FINE.” Hashimoto said. “The paint's all dry so there’s no way you can smudge it or ruin it.”

Yusuke slowly ran his hands along the painting, feeling the differences in textures of the paint glossed into the canvas fabric, occasionally feeling hard raised lines and dots made from the plasticine.

“This is incredible.” Yusuke breathed. “Honestly eye-opening.” He Paused and started chuckling at the pun he just made. “That pun was unintentional, I swear.”

Hashimoto just chuckled. “I can appreciate a good pun.” He said. “But do you understand what I mean now?” He said.

Yusuke nodded. “I do.” He said. “it really makes me want to start painting again.”

“And I strongly encourage you to follow that.” Hashimoto said. “And paint from your heart.” He added. “That’s the biggest piece of advice I can give. So long as you have the inspiration, paint it, whatever it may be, I promise, everything else will fall into place.”

“I honestly aspire to be as great as you one day.” Yusuke said. “One day I want to have my own exhibit in an art museum filled with my works. It’s what I’ve always wanted for as long as I could remember.”

“Well, Kitagawa-san, I look forward to hearing about your works in art museums too one day.” Hashimoto said. “Never underestimate and limit yourself.”

“Thank you for believing in me.” Yusuke said gratefully. “It truly means a lot to me.”

“I’m glad I could inspire you.” The older man said . “Well, I’ll leave you to enjoy the rest of the exhibit here with your friend.” Hashimoto said.

“Well, he’s not my friend.” Yusuke corrected as a smile crossed over his face as he turned to face Akira and squeeze his hand. “He’s my boyfriend.”

“Well, you are quite lucky to have someone as supportive and understanding as him.” Hashimoto said, the smile evident in his voice. “Take care of each other, you hear?”

“We will.” Akira said as he finally spoke up for the first time since Yusuke started talking to Hashimoto.

“Thank you so much Hashimoto-san!” Yusuke said as he bowed once more.

“You are more than welcome.” Hashimoto said. “Remember Kitagawa-san, always paint from the heart.” And with that, Yusuke heard his footsteps turn and walk away from them.

“Did you plan all of this?” Yusuke asked Akira once Hashimoto was out of earshot.

“Everything up until your meeting with Hashimoto-san.” Akira admitted. “I wanted to take you here because I thought the works by a blind painter might be interesting to you, but I didn’t think Hashimoto-san himself would be here.”

Yusuke gently pressed his lips against Akira’s in a soft kiss before he separated. “Thank you.” He whispered. “This day has been amazing.” He continued as he felt the happy tears well up in the corners of his eyes and spill out.

“Yusuke are you crying?” Akira asked in alarm as Yusuke started sniffling. He removed his hand from Yusuke's and brought both up to cup his face and lean their foreheads together as he kissed his forehead to comfort him.

“Are you sure you liked it? I just wanted you to feel happy. If you want I can—” Akira’s words were silenced by another kiss, one that was more urgent than the last one, but chaste and gentle all the same.

“Don’t apologize.” Yusuke said as he separated. “I’m crying because I’m happy that I have someone as good to me as you are.”

“I’m glad.” Akira said as he rested his forehead against Yusuke’s.

“When we get home, can we look for my art supplies?” Yusuke said. “I want to start painting again while you and the others are on your Mementos quest.”

“Of course.” Akira said. “I’ll help you with whatever it is you need.”

“Thank you.” Yusuke said as he moved to hold Akira’s hand again. “We should probably head home now.”

“Okay.” Akira said.

Hand-in-hand, the two boys walked towards the exit of the art museum and towards the train that would take them home, happy and content in each other’s company and from the events of the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. I truly did not get much of an actual chance this winter break to sit down and write more of this but I'm back with another chapter! 
> 
> Special thanks to KazuSakai for the Twitter inspiration and some of Futaba's tweet content! We all gotta love our favorite (Fujoshi) Hacker! 
> 
> Also while researching for this chapter, I learned so much about blind Artists like the ones mentioned in the fic in the past couple weeks and their works are incredible, I truly advise everyone Google them and check their stuff out! 
> 
> Also the flowers mentioned in this chapter all have their own meaning! I thought I'd put them here for reference:
> 
> Red Rose: Deep love, Passion, Romance  
> Pink Rose: Affection, gratitude, appreciation  
> Purple roses: Love at first sight, enchantment  
> Sunflowers: Adoration, loyalty, longevity  
> Irises: cherished friendship, bravery, valor, hope
> 
> Anyway, until next chapter! And Happy New Year to everyone it's finally the new year where i live so I can finally say that!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SPOILER WARNING FOR REFERENCE TO A CERTAIN LATE-GAME DUNGEON!

As much as Yusuke tried to ignore it, despite everything that seemed to be turning around for him in his life like his art, his love life, and his ability to cope with his blindness, he still felt like he was missing something incredibly important from his life.

In the weeks following his visit to the art museum, Yusuke painted daily, for hours on end, quickly and rapidly regaining his skills, first from basic shapes, to more intermediate designs, using any combinations of pins and plasticene and rulers to help him create and gauge outlines before he’d use his sense of touch and smell to figure out the colors he was using, from the silky softness of the green pigments to the velvety violets to the cooling fluidity of the blues. Whenever he wasn’t going to school or spending time with friends or going on dates with Akira, he would paint. And in a way, it did feel quite freeing and quite relieving to be able to paint again.

Still, as much as he loved painting, he still couldn’t help but feel restless, like he had all this pent-up energy that he couldn’t expend. There were often times where he’d sometimes feel like Goemon would stir somewhere within his conscious, like he could sometimes feel his presence guiding him, almost talking to him. He remembered there was a time when Goemon did occasionally talk to him in his head, but since the accident, he hadn't heard much from Goemon since. Yusuke had always had no such problem with restlessness when he had his sight and used to join in on all the dungeon quests. And Yusuke had to admit, being a Phantom Thief was in a way, quite a dream come true, even if it did seem possibly quite juvenile to say out loud. When he had first joined, the thrill of being in battle was exhilarating. The adrenaline rush he felt as he leapt at an enemy and slashed at it with a katana or the jolt of freedom he’d feel when he’d aim his rifle at a demon and then dramatically pose in victory like a hero from all the manga he used to read was almost addicting. After a while, it grew to be a sense of responsibility for him, but one that he gladly took, knowing that he was helping people in making their lives better. Yusuke realized that no matter how he put it, he just missed being a Phantom Thief.

It didn’t help matters that he felt left out whenever he would sit in on dungeon and heist planning sessions and listen to Akira and the others talk over strategies and training regimens before they’d all leave to go to the Other World, leaving him alone for hours at a time. He missed having that kind of camaraderie and the bonds formed by working as a team. And speaking of the team, now that Goro had joined and he suggested taking Sae Niijima’s heart due to the fact that she’s the prosecutor working on the case, everyone seemed to be under quite a bit of stress from the fact they were going to be entering a high-stakes heist soon, especially with the top-secret “ulterior motive” they all had planned with that heist. Akira in particular, was quite noticeably stressed out, and knowing his boyfriend was under so much stress only made Yusuke want to help fight more.

He had actually brought up the subject from time to time. Occasionally he’d ask Akira if he could go in during the next dungeon quest but Akira would always shut down the idea (albeit gently, Yusuke noticed). Akira would barely give much of a reason as to why, but it was all implied that it all boiled down to his blindness and although that was a reasonable motive for his request to be rejected, that still didn’t do much to deter him from his desire and drive to keep asking. After all, he had managed to cope with and learn to live with his blindness in such a rapid time, and since his other senses had strengthened almost tenfold to make up for his missing other sense, he found that at times, he could move around just as well as he did when he had his sight, provided he had his cane of course.

It was as such that another incident involving Yusuke’s desire to go back to the dungeons occurred a few days before Sae’s palace. Akira and Yusuke had just got home to the café from school when Akira’s phone rang with a text notification.

“Who is it?” Yusuke asked as he felt Akira let go of his hand to pull out his phone.

“Oh, it’s Makoto.” Akira said as Yusuke heard him start tapping a reply out on the phone. “She said that she wanted to tell us that she and Haru had fun on our double date yesterday.”

“That’s good.” Yusuke said. “They are both quite pleasant company to be around.” He said. “I got a call from Naoya earlier asking if we would both be interested in spending time with him next week.” He added.

“That sounds good to me.” Akira said. “I mean, provided nothing bad happens in the Palace before then.” He half-jokingly said.

“About that...” Yusuke began. “Akira, I can’t help but notice you’re getting rather stressed over the upcoming heist on the 18th and it’s starting to worry me.” He said. “I know you’ve said this before but I still think I should go in with you.”

Akira sighed. “Yusuke, we’ve been over this.” He said gently, albeit with a hint of annoyance in his voice. “I can’t let you go into the dungeons. It’s too dangerous.”

“And it’s not to you? It’s clear that we’ll need ALL the help we can get.” Yusuke said. “This particular dungeon quest is stressing you out. I can tell by the way I hear you pace nervously or tap your pen at the notepad full of plans and I can’t help but just want to help you out in some way.”

“You can help out by staying here.” Akira said through gritted teeth. “Yusuke please this would be for the best.”

“I don’t mean like that at all and you know it.” Yusuke said.

“Yusuke if you go in there you might be a liability both to yourself and to the mission!” Akira snapped in exasperation. “I don’t know how many times I have to drop that kind of hint every time you ask!”

“Oh so just so I’m blind that means I’m helpless?” Yusuke said angrily. “Is THAT how you see me???”

“Wait, Yusuke no, that’s not what I meant…” Akira said as his words faltered.

“Well, I’ll have you know that I am NOT helpless.” Yusuke continued. “I’ve worked so hard to get where I am and I am INSULTED you’d even begin to insinuate a thing like that.” He said as he clenched his fist and dug his fingernails into his palm.

“I’m so done right now.” Yusuke said as he stomped out of the room and down the stairs and out of the café.

“Wait Yusuke!” Yusuke heard Akira call out from behind him.

Yusuke ignored Akira as he stubbornly turned to face the other way and continued walking. To where, he had no idea. He just really needed to clear his mind.

~~~~~

Yusuke was gone for no more than five minutes when he realized he was not only feeling cold from the chilly Autumn air, but also his ability to move around the city was just the slightest bit harder to achieve. He cursed himself for forgetting to bring his jacket and mobility cane now of all times, but he realized that for some reason, at least in the alley he was in, he wasn’t running into anything or anyone. He didn’t know if it was because he knew the alley close to the café or if it was because of something else, but he soon decided to turn around and go back to the café as the cold was starting to get a bit too much for him, even for his ex-bufu user sensibilities.

As soon as he got back to the café, he instantly ignored Akira’s attempt at a greeting and just marched upstairs to the bed and laid down on it as he just brooded and stewed in his own disgruntlement.

It continued on like this for several hours as Akira presumably went to work at the flower shop. Yusuke sat there, alone in his thoughts, too emotionally drained from the argument once his adrenaline high had worn off.

Eventually though, he heard the café fall silent. An hour later, he heard the bell at the top of the café’s door chime to announce Akira’s return. Yusuke didn’t hear Akira’s footsteps walk up the stairs immediately though. In fact, twenty minutes later, Yusuke started to smell the scent of curry wafting up from the kitchen. The smell of food cooking only served to make Yusuke feel hungry, which in turn started to make him feel miserable as he started to think back to the argument.

For some reason, the fact that Akira didn’t bother to come up and say “Hi” like he normally did before he started cooking bothered him. Yusuke didn’t know why, but it felt unnerving, especially in contrast to how Akira had been trying to  reach out to him earlier.

As soon as Yusuke realized that, his brain started to race a mile a minute as well as his heart as all the possibilities of what this could mean ran through his brain. It somehow felt like Akira could be giving HIM the cold shoulder now and it didn’t feel good. He didn’t know why Akira decided to back off. He had never been in relationships before this one, but he did know from watching his classmates back at Kousei that sometimes all it took was one argument for a couple to decide their relationship should end. Instantly, he started to feel a sense of panic set into his heart as he thought about how Akira not talking to him seemed like it was a surefire sign Akira was going to leave his petty, childish self.

His internal crisis was interrupted as eventually though, Yusuke heard Akira’s footsteps walk up the stairs and heard the door creak open.

“Hey Yusuke?” Akira said gently. “Is it okay if we talked?”

Yusuke just responded by purposely turning to face away from Akira out of habit. He may be feeling conflicted over what just happened, but he didn’t need to let Akira know that until he knew what  Akira wanted from him in this situation.

Akira just sighed as Yusuke heard and felt the bedsprings creak as Akira sat down next to him. “I just wanted to say that I’m sorry.”

Yusuke slowly turned back around as he heard Akira say that. “I’m listening.” Yusuke said as he slowly sat up.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you." Akira whispered. "And I'm sorry If I insulted you. Could you ever forgive me?"  
  
“So you’re not going to break up with me?” Yusuke asked nervously.

“What? Yusuke where did you get an idea like that?” Akira asked. “I wanted to apologize because I feel bad about what happened.” Akira paused, then he inhaled and spoke again. "I really don't want to hurt you. And I don't want this fight to hurt us. I really don't want to mess up what we have."  
  
Yusuke sighed in relief before he paused for a long moment, closing his eyes and nodding his head. "Then in answer to your question: Yes." He said. "I forgive you."  
  
Akira exhaled a breath he didn’t know he was holding as Yusuke laced his fingers with his and pressed their foreheads together.  
  
"And I'm sorry I acted so petty and childish." Yusuke apologized. "I should have at least listened to what you had to say."  
  
"I was wrong though." Akira said as he shook his head. "I was being controlling and I realized that's not what I want to be as a boyfriend. I should at least tell you why I don’t want to let you into the dungeons.”  
  
“You don’t need to tell me why.” Yusuke said sadly. “It was selfish and naïve of me to even bother to ask.”

“No it wasn’t.” Akira said. “If there was anyone who was being selfish, it was me.” Yusuke heard Akira's voice quiver with a held-back sob. "You are so important to me and I’m so terrified that I’ll actually lose you this time around if I let you go back into the dungeons but I feel so awful every time I tell you that you shouldn't go into Mementos because I know going back into battle would make you really happy.

Akira paused to compose himself before he took a deep breath and continued. "I can't stand the thought of seeing you in pain again or actually losing you." He finally said.

“I worry constantly about you too, you know.” Yusuke said. “You’re our leader and I know you’re strong and brave, but I worry that something bad may happen to you too as well since I know you’d go to great lengths to protect us as teammates.”

“I guess you’re right.” Akira said. “But I still can’t help but think your blindness puts you at more of a disadvantage than my self-sacrifices.”

“About that…” Yusuke began. "I can't help but think even after I lost my eyesight, Goemon has been helping me. Now that I think about it, I adapted quite quickly to my cane and to moving around while blind. I could do it in a matter of weeks instead of months like with other blind people. It’s like he’s giving me an ‘other sense’ to help me with my blindness." He said. “In fact, when I was outside without my cane, I actually could move around as well, even if it was a bit more difficult.”

There was a pause, as if Akira was judging whether or not Yusuke’s reasoning was enough to convince him.

“I can’t help but wonder if it may manifest differently in the Other World considering we can access our personas.” Yusuke added.

“And if it doesn’t?” Akira asked. “You'd be stuck in there with us at the mercy of all these shadows and demons if you can’t fight.”  
  
"What if..." Yusuke suggested. "We start training on the earliest levels of Mementos and as we get stronger and I get the hang of battle again, we slowly work our way in?"  
  
Akira breathed. "Maybe." He said apprehensively. "But what if you get hurt or something catches you off-guard?"  
  
"We have Futaba watching us from above in Necronomicon. I'm sure she can give us some warnings about any attacks." Yusuke pointed out. "And I know that we all tend to keep an eye out for each other anyway." He continued. "Plus a lot of my other senses actually strengthened by a lot once I lost my eyesight to compensate for that loss."  
  
"What if the demons are too strong?" Akira pointed out.  
  
"Not on the upper levels they aren't." Yusuke said continued. "I remember the last time I was there, we were all strong enough that lot of the ones in the upper levels we ran into died from a single hit."  
  
Akira paused, as if to consider Yusuke's reasoning.  
  
"I guess you're right..." Akira said slowly. "Okay, I'll let you come along with us during our next mementos training day tomorrow and see how that goes." He said.  
  
"Really???" Yusuke said excitedly.  
  
"Under one condition..." Akira added. "If anything gets too dangerous, we leave immediately."  
  
"Okay!" Yusuke said cheerfully. "Thank you so much Akira!" He said as he tightly hugged his boyfriend close and kissed him over and over again.

At that moment, Yusuke’s stomach growled loudly.

“Did you have anything to eat?” Akira said in concern.

Yusuke shook his head as he continued hugging Akira, who he noticed smelled a little bit like the curry he made earlier. That certainly didn't help sate his hunger.

“No.” Yusuke said as his stomach growled once more. "You smell nice. Like curry." He added. 

Akira laughed softly as he pulled away and pushed Yusuke’s hair out of his face before pressing a soft kiss to his forehead.

“Do you want some curry?” Akira asked. “I made a lot because I figured you would be hungry.”

Yusuke nodded eagerly. “Yes please.” He said. “And a big portion too.”

“Okay.” Akira said as Yusuke heard him get up from the bed. Yusuke followed suit as he headed toward the door.

Even though Yusuke had no idea what truly laid in store for him tomorrow in the Mementos Dungeon especially after being away from it for almost a month, but nevertheless he knew he would have trouble sleeping later that night from excitement of the possibility that his life would continue to get closer to the way it was before his accident and that was certainly something he couldn't wait for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update! Pokemon moon, school, my kindle breaking (AKA what I Mainly write my fics on) and coming down with a cold coupled with the fact i was writing a MASSIVE P5 Hogwarts AU headcanon verse on my tumblr kind of kept me distracted.
> 
> Side note, writing that argument was hard. Like, really hard. I was kind of emotional. What kept me going was that I kept imagining how Morgana would verbally chew out Akira for being an idiot once Akira leaves to go to work lmao. 
> 
> ALSO, 1000 hits already? Wow guys you all are great! I'm so glad you all liked it! I hope to never disappoint all of you because I don't think I could have gotten this far without you. So thank you all ❤! I hope to update very soon (Because I'm super-excited to show you battle dynamics)! Until next chapter!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY SOME DUNGEON ACTION AND BATTLE DYMANICS!  
> (Side note: HEAVY use of thief codenames in this chapter as well as a mild Spoiler warning for a vague description of Goro's thief outfit, codename, and AOA animation)

The next day, during the pre-dungeon quest meeting, Akira told everyone about the plan to bring Yusuke back into battle, which was met with a lot of surprise but even more support.

“It’s all good, Inari.” Futaba said as she lightly patted Yusuke on the back. “I’ll watch over you from Necronomicon.”

“I got your back, bro.” Ryuji said as he slung his arm around Yusuke’s shoulders and affectionately punched him in the arm.

“If you need me as well, I can most certainly cover for you.” Haru said cheerfully. “But I know you will do fine!”

“I will do my part to make sure you are safe as well.” Makoto added.

“Me too!” Ann chimed in.

“Akira would kick me out if I don’t protect you anyway.” Morgana said semi-jokingly.

Yusuke smiled appreciatively. “Thank you all so much for believing in me.” He said gratefully.

“If you ask me, I don’t think this is going to work.” Goro said skeptically.

“Nobody asked for your opinion, Goro.” Futaba snarked as Yusuke heard her tap away at her phone’s keyboard.

“I mean, realistically speaking, there’s a very low likelihood that he could actually get some kind of sight in the dungeons. All we have to go off of is his hunch which might not even be correct.” Goro reasoned.

Yusuke’s mood almost went south hearing the detective’s frankly unnecessary words.

“I understand where you’re coming from with this,” Akira responded as he gently held Yusuke’s hand and reassuringly squeezed it. “But I think we’ve weighed the risks and the benefits enough to think that this would be worth a shot, and especially with how high-stakes Niijima's Palace will be, having all the manpower we can get is crucial.”

Goro just huffed in response.

“Anyway, we shouldn’t waste time.” Akira said as he stood up from his seat and gently pulled Yusuke up with him. “We should all head to the train station.”

~~~~~

When the group arrived at the train station, everyone pulled out their phones to access the otherworld app before they all got transported.

Upon arrival in the Other World, The first thing Fox noticed was how suddenly, when he opened his eyes, he could see. Not exactly “See” in the traditional sense, but he could sense vibrations in the ground below him and how they’d create outlines of figures that touch the ground, and along with that, he could see outlines of various shapes, right down to the minutest detail, like how he could detect the exact shape and size of the teeth of Skull’s mask despite him facing away from him several feet away or the moving figures of shadows several doors down. Without realizing, Fox gasped in wonder at his newfound sense of sight.

“Is everything alright, Fox?” Joker asked as Fox felt him put a hand on his shoulder.

“I Can See!” Fox said excitedly, almost feeling his tail wag as he did. “Joker I can see! Well, not in the actual sense, but I can see outlines and vibrations of everything! Look!” He said, pointing at Mona, who had scurried several yards away to investigate something on a railroad track before making a frame out of his fingers. “There’s Mona! And Wait, what codename did we agree on for him?” Fox asked as he pointed at a figure with a cape, epaulettes, and a long pointy mask that looked like a bird’s beak.

“Oh, you must have missed that discussion; we decided to call him Crow.” Joker said humorously.

“That’s fitting, but that outfit seems hideous.” Fox said disdainfully. “It almost seems to lack as much aesthetic taste as Skull’s does.”

“If you think it’s less bad than mine, you’d change your mind if you got to see it with color.” Skull said, trying not to sound offended at the jab that Fox made at him. “That guy is so flashy, he sticks out like a sore thumb. His is probably the worse one to be honest.”

"Well then for once in my life, I'm glad I'm blind so I don't have to see it in its full gaudy glory." Fox said.

“I’m right here, you guys.” Crow said bluntly.

“Okay, we can talk about this later.” Joker said. “Right now, we should start moving before The Reaper catches up to us.”

“Yeah, about that,” Oracle said, adjusting her goggles. “I’ll be right there with you guys, unless we meet him, In which case I’ll be way back inside Necronomicon.”

“Great to know you got our backs.” Joker said sarcastically. “Mona, transform!”

“Got it!” Mona shouted as they jumped into the air and transformed into a large van.

Everyone piled into the backseat as Queen and Noir climbed into the driver’s and front passenger seats. Almost as soon as Fox sat down, he instantly felt the van lurch forward as Queen floored the gas pedal.

The sudden movement coupled with the speed of it was making Fox want to puke. A month and a half out of the dungeons seemed to not do much for his motion sickness tolerance, and with Queen’s driving being the way it was, it didn’t help anything.

“Fox, Are you doing okay?” Joker said as Fox felt him take one hand and squeeze it while putting his other hand on his shoulder.

Fox held his breath as he shook his head, feeling the nausea hit him with the inertia of the van rocking from side to side from Queen’s erratic driving. He almost threw up when Queen sharply swerved around the corner.

“Okay, breathe in,” Joker instructed, also slowly inhaling to demonstrate. Fox followed his lead.

“Now slowly breathe out through your mouth.” Joker said as he exhaled. Fox copied the action.

“Now breathe in again, and now out.” Joker continued.

“You sound like you’re trying to coach him through a birthing process.” Oracle snickered. “Is there anything you guys have got to tell us? Fox, is it even safe for you to fight when you’re carrying a baby?”

“Oracle, get your head out of your weird mpreg fantasies, will you? Why don’t you just do your job and scan for any potential threats?” Joker said.

From two rooms up ahead, Fox could sense a large shape, with a big, bulky armored lumbering body on 4 legs.

“I SENSE A LARGE PRESENCE TWO PASSAGEWAYS AHEAD OF US!” Fox shouted as he squeezed Joker’s hand.

“Oracle! Can I get a confirmation?” Joker requested. “Queen, be prepared to possibly park!”

“Detection positive! Level 24 shadow sighted Two hallways, no, one hallway ahead now!” Oracle shouted her confirmation as they entered another room.

“Should we go for it?” Panther asked as Fox sensed her readying her whip.

“Hit the brakes Queen!” Joker shouted.

“As you wish, Joker!” Queen replied.

The van jerked to an abrupt stop that almost sent Fox flying forward had he not been squished between Panther and Joker.

Everyone piled out quickly and once everyone was out, Mona transformed back into their cat form before everyone started running into the next room.

“Fox, can you pick up at all in which direction the shadow is facing at this moment with your vibration sight?” Joker asked in a sort of hushed whisper so as not to alert the presence in the next room to their arrival.

Fox touched a finger to his temple before he brought his fingers up in their framing gesture so as to serve as a means to be a focus on his target. “Target seems to be facing away from us. Advancing now would give us the upper hand for a sneak attack.”

Fox saw Joker nod before he walked to the door and gestured for everyone to follow along and go into the room. Once everyone entered, they took great care of sneaking, and once Fox sensed everyone was behind the Shadow, which seemed to indeed have its back turned to the group, Joker ran up and leapt at the shadow from behind and pulled off its face, prompting a scream from it as it started to attack.

“Enemy seems to be weak to bufu and hama but it also has high agility so be careful!” Oracle shouted from above, already situated safely inside of Necronomicon.

“There seems to be a gap in its armor plating in its armpits and the back of the knees!” Fox said as he picked up on the weaknesses through the vibrations.

“Thank you!” Joker shouted as he readied his pistol and shot once at it, only to have it dodge out of the way of the bullet.

Queen, Noir and Panther all charged forward from three opposing directions as they physically attacked the shadow with their weapons, confusing it as to which target to attack.

Sensing his opportunity, Fox ripped off his mask. “Come forth, Goemon!” He shouted as he summoned his persona.

Goemon sprang from his subconscious with a burst of energy. “ _It has been quite a while._ ” Goemon said to Fox.

“And the same to you too.” Fox said before Goemon turned and fired a bufula spell at the shadow, which screamed as it was hit with the icy blast before it fell face-forward.

Skull and Mona rushed forward with their weapons to do a close-up attack before Crow aimed what looked like a ray gun from one of Oracle’s sci-fi movies at the incapacitated enemy and blasted a ray of energy.

“The Enemy is down!” Oracle shouted.

“Should we go for an all-out attack?” Skull asked.

“Let’s go for it!” Joker shouted.

Immediately, everyone charged at the shadow with their weapons drawn as they all mercilessly attacked the fallen shadow, which evaporated into a cloud of dust, as Crow jumped and kicked his leg out to the side in victory (in a manner not unlike what Yusuke had once saw in a Michael Jackson music video) before he brought his arms up in a motion that he remembered Skull had once described as a “Dab”. Fox rolled his eyes at the gesture as he turned to face his leader while Oracle (who had since landed on the ground) and Skull both dabbed in victory as well and Noir made a comment about how she loved hearing the sound of shadows screaming (much to Queen's fearful reaction).

“Good work, everybody!” Joker said. “Let’s get going and find our next target!”

Mona transformed into the van once more as everyone piled in and Queen started driving again.

~~~~~

After battling several more Shadows, the team seemed to start to lose its momentum and it was becoming more clear that everyone needed to take a break.

“Is there a safe room anywhere?” Noir asked. “I feel like we need some time to recover.”

“Yeah a break sounds pretty good right about now.” Skull said as he stretched his arms above his head before putting them down again. “I’m still feeling sore from that fight with Mara earlier.”

“It was leering quite a bit at both you and Fox, wasn’t it, Joker?” Panther asked as she tied up her whips. “Do you think it picked up on what’s happening between you two?”

“I don’t know.” Joker said as Fox sensed he put his hand in his hair sheepishly. “Mara has always been pretty weird but this one did take a lot out of us.” He paused. “Fox, Oracle, Is there a safe room anywhere near here?”

Fox put his fingers up in a frame shape as he focused his Vibration Vision on where to find a safe room while Oracle touched her goggles.

“I sense a saferoom two passageways ahead.” Oracle said.

“Any enemies blocking our path?” Joker asked.

“Nothing that I can see.” Fox said.

“I don’t think I see anything either.” Oracle added.

“Okay, it’s settled, let’s go!” Joker said as Mona transformed into the van once more and everyone piled in.

The group managed to make it through one passageway safely before they were suddenly attacked from behind.

“LEVEL 40 ENEMY INCOMING!” Oracle shouted.

“WHAT? I DON’T SENSE IT ANYWHERE!” Fox shouted in surprise as he tried to focus his vibration vision. “I THOUGHT YOU SAID THERE WEREN’T ANY ENEMIES!”

“That’s what I thought too but It’s doing an aerial attack!” Oracle retorted back. That would at least explain why Fox couldn’t find a trace of an enemy from his spot on the ground.

“EVERYONE GET READY!” Joker shouted as everyone got off the Mona Van and drew their weapons.

Instantly, an intense wave of heat was blasted at everyone as the shadow released an Agi spell. Fox felt himself grow immensely weaker and dizzier from the heat, seemingly unable to handle the attack because of his Bufu abilities. He slouched over and put his hands on his knees to stabilize himself.

“FOX! ARE YOU OKAY?” Joker shouted in concern.

Fox forced himself to stand up straight so as not to cause more concern for his leader. “I’ll be fine, Joker.” He said as he unsheathed his katana before he charged in the direction the heat wave came from and slashed at what he hoped was the shadow. He felt his blade instantly connect with something that felt soft, like flesh, which prompted a scream from the demon.

“THE ENEMY SEEMS TO BE WEAK TO CUT ATTACKS!” Oracle shouted over the Shadow's scream.

“DO YOU THINK WE SHOULD KILL IT?” Queen yelled.

“I DON’T THINK WE EVEN CAN IN OUR CURRENT STATE.” Joker responded. “Let’s try weakening it into negotiation mode and try to get money from it.”

Crow, Mona, and Noir leapt forward with their weapons and landed their attacks which only prompted more screams from the Demon before they suddenly died down as Fox sensed Joker pulling his gun at the shadow.

“We got it cornered!” He shouted to the group. “Now’s our chance!”

“ _WHO DARES TO TAKE ME FOR RANSOM_!” The shadow shouted angrily in a grating female-sounding voice.

“I am Joker, and we are the Phantom Thieves of Hearts!” Joker shouted. “We demand money from you, cooperate now and we will not end your life!”

“ _YOU FOOLISH HUMANS!_ ” The shadow responded. “ _COULD YOU REALLY GO THROUGH WITH THAT??? HAVE YOU NO LOVE OR COMPASSION?_ ”

“Oh trust me, I got plenty of it, I’m just not going to bother with the likes of you!” Joker retorted as he clicked the safety of his gun off.

“ _DO TELL_ ,” The Shadow said, obviously stalling for time. “ _YOU’RE A RATHER DASHING YOUNG MAN, WHAT’S YOUR TYPE?_ ” It asked. “ _OLDER WOMEN, YOUNGER WOMEN, OR MEN?_ ”

“I mean, I am dating a man if that’s an indication of anything.” Joker responded.

“ _I SEE,_ ” The shadow said. “ _COULD THE PERSON IN QUESTION BE THE TALL ONE WITH THE WHITE TAIL?”_

Fox felt taken aback as the shadow called him out, but Joker however, didn’t seem phased at all.

“You're right on the mark!” He said, with a hint of pride in his voice. “And isn’t he the cutest person you’ve ever laid eyes on?”

“Joker what are you Doing???” Fox shouted with equal parts sheepish embarrassment, panic, and affection for Joker.

“ _HE MAY BE CUTE,_ ” The demon agreed. “ _BUT CAN HE SING?? SING FOR ME, PRETTY FOX BOY!_ ”

“WAIT WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH ANYTHING?” Fox blurted in panic. “WHAT IF I CAN’T SING???”

“ _YOU CAN’T SING???_ ” The shadow said, thoroughly angered by Fox’s panicked outburst. “ _I WILL OBLITERATE ALL OF YOU!_ ”

“Hey wait.” Panther said as she stepped forward. “I think there’s a little misunderstanding that’s leading us nowhere.” She said. “We all know that you’re stalling for your life, but if you hand over some money and promise not to attack us, we won’t kill you.” She continued. “Does that sound reasonable?”

There was a pause from the shadow. Then it spoke. “ _VERY WELL._ ” It said. “ _IT SHALL BE DONE._ ”

There was a clinking of a large multitude of coins being dropped before Fox heard the sound of wings flapping away. As soon as he no longer heard it, he breathed a sigh of relief.

“Let’s get to that saferoom you guys!” Joker said as Mona transformed into a bus and everyone climbed in and headed to the saferoom.

~~~~~

Once everyone was in the saferoom, Joker took out several healing items and handed them out.

“Great work everyone!” Joker said encouragingly. “This training session in particular has been tough but I’m proud of you all!”

“Thank you.” Noir said weakly as she sat down in a chair.

“Are we going to continue fighting for today?” Panther asked in exhaustion.

“Do the rest of you feel up to it?” Joker asked.

His answer was met with a chorus of exhausted-sounding “No's” and “Not Really's”.

“The Reaper is literally in the next passageway anyway.” Oracle said as she touched her goggles. “Unless the rest of you have a death wish, I’d rather not go out there.”

Fox focused his vibration vision on the rooms ahead. Sure enough, a large menacing figure was seen slinking around on the floor. “I can confirm.” He said.

“Well, I guess that settles it.” Joker said. “Everybody ready to go home?”

Everyone nodded their heads. Joker fished a go-hom from his pocket and suddenly, everyone was transported back to the Real World.

As soon as Yusuke left the other world, his vision instantly went dark again as his direct connection with Goemon was lost once more.

Everyone said their goodbyes and headed in their separate directions home. Once Yusuke, Akira, and Morgana were left alone, Akira reached to hold Yusuke’s hand in his own before they started heading home as well.

After a considerable amount of silence, Yusuke broke it.

“I’m sorry for almost ruining that Negotiation.” He said.

“What? Yusuke there’s no need to apologize!” Akira said. “That demon kind of threw a lot of us in for a loop. It’s not your fault.” He continued reassuringly. “In fact, you did AMAZING back there.” He continued as he leaned up to press a kiss to Yusuke’s cheek. “I’m so proud of you.”

Yusuke’s heart swelled with warm affection for his boyfriend as his face blushed. “So does that mean you’ll let me stay on the team?” He asked.

“Hmmm let me think.” Akira said before he instantly continued. “Yes. Definitely yes. If it’s what you still want of course.”

“Of course I want it.” Yusuke said. “Fighting like that for the first time in a long time felt Amazing!” He said excitedly.

Akira laughed. “Then I guess it’s settled.” He said.

“Thank you so much for letting me join you Akira.”

“Anything to make you happy.” Akira responded as he squeezed Yusuke's hand.  
Yusuke suddenly became aware of how sore his body felt, and apparently, so did Akira.

“If you want, when we get back, I can give you a back rub to soothe your muscles.” Akira offered. “I’m sure you must feel really sore especially from all the weeks of inactivity.”

Yusuke nodded. “Yes please!” He said immediately, Eager at the thought of receiving such caring affection from his boyfriend later.

“Alright.” Akira said happily as he leaned against Yusuke slightly as they walked.

Yusuke closed his eyes and opened them as he and his boyfriend spent the rest of their journey home in a tired, yet comforting silence as he felt fully content with himself as he noted to himself that finally, the rest of his life was falling back into place.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took a lot of inspiration for Yusuke's "Mementos Sight" from Toph's seismic sense from ATLA as well as echolocative abilities, partially to enable a sense of battle mobility for Yusuke but also as a means to semi-fulfill my desire for a male navigator (Persona 6 please make a male navigator happen) so now Futaba and Yusuke in this verse are co-navigators with Futaba scanning and analyzing for elemental weaknesses and topical physical attribute weaknesses and Yusuke as a secondary navigator analyzing for physical hidden threats and weaknesses that Futaba might not pick up from her vantage point in Necronomicon while he still acts as an attacking force (also due to his spot on the ground, he can sometimes sense ground-based threats from a physical range even further than Futaba's). 
> 
> We'll get to see more of this at work in future chapters but I was just honestly super-happy to bring Yusuke back into battle. 
> 
> Also side note: I took a HEAVY amount of liberty with the Mementos Dungeon aspect and randomly made up a few Shadows (since the demons are called shadows in this game) since i havent actually watched much of the streams except for certain plot points and some awakening scenes since i want to stay relatively visually unspoiled for this game.
> 
> Thank you all for reading (Especially to all the new readers who have joined since last chapter)! Until next chapter~ ❤!


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MAJOR SPOILERS FOR AN ENDGAME DUNGEON AND PLOT!!!

Three days after Yusuke’s first Mementos quest, he found himself and the others entering Sae’s palace for their showdown with her shadow self. In the days prior to entering the Palace, Akira and the others all went on various training sessions in both Mementos and the Casino Dungeon, and Akira ended up giving Yusuke a quick debrief of what happened in the Casino prior to Yusuke re-joining the team, from Sae’s challenge to  how the gambling games were set up before they all discussed on how to send Sae the calling card, ultimately deciding that Makoto should send it under the guise of “someone left it at the house” so as to arouse the least suspicion.

Still, As he ran through the middle of the Casino with the others, Fox realized absolutely NONE of that prepared him for what Niijima’s palace was actually like. The sheer amount of people, objects, noises, and smells he started picking up on was overwhelming and even without his eyesight, he felt like he was on the verge of a sensory overload (which, given how Oracle commented about how bright the lights were inside, would have been very likely if he could still see lights and color).

Still, with his Vibration Vision intact, Fox could sense the outlines of all the slot machines and hallways in the casino, along with all the guards and people. Joker had explained previously that Sae’s Palace was actually located where a courthouse is in the real world, and that instead of fighting, a great deal of the challenges in Sae’s dungeon seemed to involve gambling and puzzles.

“I’m surprised Niijima-san can think of this tense atmosphere as a casino.” Noir commented after everyone stepped into a safe room to take a quick break. “This might be a little odd to say but isn’t Niijima-san busy with our investigation? How does she have time for this other trial?”

“This particular trial was set before Sae-San was given the duties of heading the investigation. Normally another prosecutor would take on the case, but Sae-san is a bit of a perfectionist.” Crow said.

Crow sighed wearily before Fox sensed he looked upward. “So what kind of duel will it be now?” He asked.

“Whatever we put out, we’ll win.” Joker said encouragingly. “So let’s do our best.” He said before he stepped out. Everyone else followed suit and started running again.

The group ran through what felt like a labyrinth of slot machines, poker tables, lounges, stairs, and all sorts of hallways until finally, they reached a big wide room with what Yusuke sensed had a lot of large windows and standing in the center was Sae’s Shadow form.

“If you think you pushed me into a corner, you made a huge mistake.” Shadow Sae said. “I just led you here because then I can go all-out.”

“Sis…” Fox heard Queen say.

“When father passed on, I hated the criminals from the bottom of my heart.” Shadow Sae said, the sharp edge of bitterness staining her words. “Leaving this world because of justice is a beautiful story. Those left over can’t take it.” She continued. “How much do you think I suffered?” She asked angrily.

“Huh,” Crow said as Fox sensed him place his hand on his chin. “I guess I thought too much of you. I thought you’d say something more elegant.”

“She is going crazy.” Oracle said.

“This… This is wrong.” Noir said in horror.

“Justice has to defeat evil. I have to win…” Shadow Sae continued. “We can fight to find out who’s right!” She said.

Instantly, the ground beneath Fox started rumbling and shaking. He widened his stance to stabilize himself against the movement. He heard Sae cackling maniacally as the clacking and rattling of what sounded like hundreds of large wood panels being raised up along the sides of the floor as he saw through his vibration vision what looked like a giant roulette table being built around Sae and the team before the sounds all stopped with the board’s completion.

“Shall we begin?” Shadow Sae said.

“We’re going to save her, right?” Crow said.

“Of course we are.” Joker said. 

There was a clanking under everyone’s feet as suddenly, the wheel of the board started turning around everyone.

“Play by my rules, or you die!” Sae shouted.

The sound of a ball rolling around the edge of the battlefield was heard.

“Guess a number!” Sae shouted. “And Place your bet! What will it be, Money, Magic energy, or health?”

“I Guess 5 and for money!” Joker said as he readied his gun and shot at Sae’s shadow form, who just dodged his attack.

The sound of the ball rolling to a stop over the pits in the inner circle was heard before it stopped before a loud blaring beeping noise was heard.

“Oh, too bad!” Shadow Sae’s voice said. “You got 10!”

Immediately, the sound of clinking coins was heard as he heard Joker get his money stolen.

“Guess again!” Shadow Sae Shouted.

“Alright!” Joker said. “20 and for Magic!”

There was the sound of the spinning table once more until the ball bounced into the pit Joker had guessed and bounced out.

“Oh my, that’s half your magic gone!” Shadow Sae said.

Instantly, Fox felt himself get dizzier.

“I THINK SHE’S CHEATING!” Mona said. “I don’t know how but she is!”

“Joker guessed the right pit and it clearly fell in before it bounced out.” Fox exclaimed. “So she most certainly is.”

“I think it’s the glass! I saw a glint of it inside the pit as it rolled.” Joker said. “We need someone to get rid of it!”

“I’ll do it!” Queen shouted as she ran up along the sides of the battlefield and ran to a good vantage point where she could shoot the glass.

Sae started up another round of betting as Joker chose another number. The board spun once more as the ball rolled. Queen ran forward and shot at the glass in the pit that the ball first rolled into.

Instantly, the glass shattered and Yusuke saw the ball fall into the pit like it was supposed to. Immediately, he felt a wave of strength and invigoration run through him as he (and he assumed the rest of the team) regained health.

Sensing his opportunity, Joker pulled his gun on Shadow Sae as the others followed suit.

“How Dare You!” Shadow Sae shouted.

Immediately, her form exploded as shadowy essence spilled out from her form and got built up until she was a large, hulking armored figure with long flowy hair and carrying several large guns and an enormous saw.

“That can’t be my sis!” Queen said in disbelief.

“EVERYBODY GET READY!” Joker shouted.

Shadow Sae’s demented form let out a loud shriek as it ran to attack Queen, who dodged out of the way.

“Try doing a sneak attack from behind!” Oracle shouted. “This form seems to be weak to Hama, but Zio and Bufu also works pretty well on it.”

Fox took his cue. He ran forward and pulled off his mask. From next to him, he could hear Skull do the same as he shouted “Come out, Captain!”

This was going to be a long battle.

~~~~~

After what felt like an hour of fighting, the group finally defeated Sae’s shadow.

As Joker shot one last time at the form, Sae’s demented Shadow form let out one last inhuman-sounding scream before it collapsed on the ground. Yusuke sensed its body revert back to a more humanoid form that resembled Sae.

“I… completely lost.” Shadow Sae said in disappointment.

“Sis!” Queen shouted as she ran forward and knelt before her sister’s shadow form.

“You said that to a shadow?” Crow said in disbelief.

“Shut Up!” Panther said as Fox sensed her elbowing Crow in the ribs.

“I’m sorry.” Crow said as he quieted down and looked at the scene in front of him in silence.

“We’re going to go look for the treasure.” Skull said as he pulled Fox along with him, no doubt to use his vibration vision to help find where it was located.

As Fox and Skull searched the room, Fox overheard Sae talk about her disillusionment in the legal system while Queen comforted her as Noir stepped forward and knelt down to supportively place a hand on Queen’s shoulder.

“Do you see anything?” Skull said as he looked behind a curtain.

“Wait.” Fox said as he continued focusing his vibration vision. “I found it!” He said as he pointed to a curtain on the other side of the room, where just behind it, his vibration vision was picking up on the shape of a small briefcase.

“Let’s go!” Skull said as he ran forward. Fox ran to catch up.

Once on the other side of the enormous room, Skull grabbed the briefcase before he and Fox ran down to the spot where the others were still gathered.

“We found it!” Fox said to announce his and Skull’s return.

“Now the investigation will move in the right direction.” Crow said. “And you all are cleared of suspicion.” He turned to Joker. “This deal with you, it was a good experience.” He looked up. “A detective like me? Becoming a Phantom Thief? Who would have believed?” He rambled.

“Will you continue on as a Phantom Thief?” Joker asked.

Crow shook his head. “No, this will be the end for me and for you. We made that promise didn’t we?”

“We can’t stay long.” Mona said. They turned to face Queen. “Are you okay?”

Queen nodded. “I’m okay.” She said. “Let’s go.”

“Wait!” Oracle said as Fox heard the computerized-sounding beeps of her tech equipment being activated.  “We have enemies! When did they…” She continued as Fox heard her type something out. “They’re gathering outside!” She shouted in panic.

“Are you serious?” Skull asked. “What’s going on?”

This was bad. This was very bad. Fox didn’t want to believe it, but he too, could start to sense the growing numbers of the presences of shadows that were starting to move in the rooms and hallways outside of their battlefield.

“What are the numbers?” He asked Oracle.

“My scans are starting to go berserk with how many shadows it’s picking up on!” Oracle replied.

“This is bad…” Panther said.

“We’ve defeated their master and stolen their treasure but the shadows won’t stop!” Mona said in horror and disbelief. “What’s going on? What’s happening?”

“They’re still coming!” Oracle said. “If we leave like this, it’ll be dangerous!”

“We have to keep moving!” Mona said. “The black suits will come down like an avalanche soon. If we get caught, we’re done for!”

“But if we stay in numbers like this, we’ll be found out right away!” Queen pointed out. “We should split up, but if that’s the case, we’ll need someone to play the decoy.” She said before pausing. “No… it’s too dangerous.” She said as she realized the stakes.

“I’ll do it.” Joker said as Fox sensed him step forward. “Give the treasure to me.”

“Joker?” Queen said in disbelief. “Don’t tell me you’re going to do it yourself.”

“Joker, it’s too big of a risk! You could get killed!” Fox said in shock and panic as he realized his lover was basically offering himself up as a sacrifice for the rest of the team. “Are you sure of this???”

“Fox! Queen! Stop it!” Skull said. “He may not say much but when he does, it sticks.”

Fox sensed Skull walk over and hand Joker the treasure.

“There’s no way you’ll die.” He said assuredly.

“Please don’t be too reckless.” Noir said worriedly.

“I won’t forgive you if you don’t come back.” Panther said, the threatening tone serving only as a thin mask to the concern that could be heard in her voice.

“Please be safe.” Fox said worriedly, taking Joker’s free and squeezing it.

Joker squeezed Fox’s hand back before stepping closer to him. “I will. I promise.” He whispered as Fox felt the soft leather of Joker’s gloves on his skin as Joker gently cupped his face, moving the nose of Fox’s mask slightly to the side so he could quickly press a soft kiss to his lips before he very reluctantly moved away.

“We’re still in the middle of a deal.” Mona said, almost as if in reminder of the situation.

“They’re gathering more than earlier!” Oracle said.

“You better get going.” Crow said. “Let’s split up!” He said.

“We’ll see you afterward.” Queen said to Joker.

Fox watched his lover nod to the rest before he turned and headed out of the room as shadows started following and gaining on him, but Joker, being the master thief he is, kept dodging and fighting their attacks. As soon as Joker was out of his Vibration Vision range, Fox turned toward the direction of Oracle, who had since seemed to pull up a screen showing footage of Joker’s progress through the Palace, given how everyone seemed to crowd around her and look in the same direction.

“He’s making his way through the main hallway!” Oracle said. “We should get going.”

Fox heard a computerized beep as the sound of Futaba operating her personal intercom system was heard.

Everyone turned tail and split up in directions opposite that in which Joker had run in just minutes before. Fox ran with Crow, Queen, and Noir while Oracle ran with Panther, Skull and Mona.

 “Alright! Let’s pull back now!” Mona said over the intercom.

“Joker is in the main room and seems to have gotten the notice of everyone on the casino floor!” Futaba said as she relayed the information back to Fox.

“Let’s do it!” Crow said encouragingly.

“You can do this, Joker!” Fox said into the intercom.

“No need to panic! You can still pull back now!” Oracle said over her mic.

“I’ll go get the briefcase then.” Queen said as she halted

“We can’t.” Crow said. “He’s got it now. Queen, if you went, then you’d be captured on site!”

“Hmmm? What’s going on?” Oracle said. “Anyway,” She said dismissively. “Don’t focus on our side, just focus on getting there safely.” She said to Joker.

There was a silence from both ends as everyone kept running. Fox guided everyone into a small, hidden side hallway where few shadows were roaming.

“Anyway,” Mona said. "It was amazing that you were able to appear up there in front of all those guests though. Such great inducement!” They said in awe. “I’m proud of you, Joker!”

“Skull wouldn’t have been able to do THAT!” Fox heard Panther playfully say.

Despite the tense atmosphere, Fox almost snorted at the jab Panther made. “I’m blind and I can still say it’s because he lacks aesthetic sense.”

“SHUT UP, INARI!” Skull retorted from his end.

Over the intercom, Fox could hear a gruff older man’s voice shout “Over there!”

“Just Run, Run for your life!” Oracle shouted.

“Good.” Mona said, undoubtedly watching the screen that Oracle had pulled up despite Fox not seeing the feline. “Joker has drawn all of their attention; we should be able to leave smoothly.”

A lump formed in the back of Fox’s throat as he started to feel a sense of worry and dread settle in his heart. Joker could be in danger, but he needed his faith in his leader to stay unwavering. Joker needed it more than ever.

“Guys! You all know where to meet up, right?” Noir said into the intercom.

“No problem!” Oracle said. “I’ll show them the way!”

“I will as well!” Fox said.

“Joker has run into some enemies!” Oracle shouted, before Fox heard her direct her voice into a different mic channel, the audio overlapping into his feed. “Combat… analyzed!” She said. “Kick… asses, Joker!”

There was a pause as everyone opened a door and ran.

“Joker has defeated the enemies! He is running into a backroom now!” Oracle updated. “There seems to be stairs and a basement! Joker is running down the stairs!” She shouted.

“Got it!” Noir said.

There was a pause as everyone dodged the attacks of a couple shadows.

“Joker is now back in the main room!” Oracle shouted. “He seems to have stopped though!”

“What’s wrong?” Noir asked. “Isn’t there an exit?”

“I think it might be blocked because of all the commotion!” Queen said.

“HE’S RUNNING THROUGH ALONG THE BALCONY TO GET TO THE WINDOW!” Oracle updated. “I can’t believe it! HE’S JUMPING THROUGH THE WINDOW!”

“What a marvelous way to end this mission.” Noir said in wonder.

“It’s so reckless… geez.” Panther said over the intercom.

Suddenly, in Fox’s field of vibration vision, two large shadows appeared.

“Incoming Shadows!” He said. “I don’t know their weaknesses but they’re rapidly gaining on us!” He said. “If we hold them off, we’ll be wasting valuable time and opening ourselves up for the potential to be caught by the police!”

With that, Crow stopped. “I’ll hold them off.” He said.

“Crow, you can’t!” Noir said.

“Just Go!” Crow said as he turned around and drew his light sword. “Two demons are nothing to me!” He said.

Queen, Noir, and Fox nodded before they ran toward the exit.

“Crow has stayed behind to hold off demons!” Fox said over the intercom.

“I’ll cut him from the feed so he won’t get distracted!” Oracle said. There was a pause, before she spoke again.

“Joker has been cornered!” Oracle said as she relayed the information Fox couldn’t see. “There’s a flood of police chasing him now!”

“No way! Are there enemies outside too?” Noir asked.

“What’s happening?” Skull said.

“This can’t be an ambush can it?” Panther asked in panic.

“Joker please, get out of there!” Fox shouted, the feelings of anxiety coming back.

“He’s running away!” Oracle updated. “Everyone is swiftly gaining on him though.”

Fox willed and wished with all his might that his lover would be safe.

“Joker has been caught!” Oracle finally said. “He’s just been arrested by the cops.”

Instantly, Fox felt the panic, dread, and fear settle into his heart and weigh into his stomach like a sinking stone. He knew the stakes, he knew Joker’s plan, but he still couldn’t help but worry about what would go wrong.

 “Is there anything we can do?” Fox asked.

“Nothing we can do!” Oracle said over the intercom.” Just remember our plan!”

At that moment, Fox, Noir, and Queen crashed through the Palace’s exit before they all ran to meet up with Oracle’s group in the agreed-upon meeting spot. There was nothing Fox could do at this point but hope and pray that Joker would be okay.

~~~~~

Waiting the days after the Casino dungeon was nothing short of agonizing and frustrating to Yusuke.

He had barely heard any updates on Akira’s whereabouts, and as the news channels started running breaking news stories that “The Legendary Phantom committed suicide in police custody,” Yusuke didn’t want to believe it. He knew the plan after all. It had to have been all part of it, but he still couldn’t help but worry at least slightly about it. He didn’t even want to entertain the slightest thought that it could possibly be true.

Nobody kept in contact those couple of days so as not to draw suspicion. All of their interactions at school were kept at a minimum that was strictly academic and professional, and to Yusuke, this forced clinical distance was starting to make him feel lonely. It was driving him mad, in all honesty.

However, after the fourth day, everyone received a message to meet up at the café after school. Goro was noticeably absent, his business with the thieves and his plan to dispose of Akira having long been done and carried out.

“I’m sorry for being late…” Yusuke heard Sae’s voice say from downstairs while he and the others hid out in his (and Akira’s) room. “I had to finish my job. How are the kids?”

“They’re waiting upstairs.” Sojiro said. “Tell them to come down here.”

“I’ll bring them.” Sae said as she started walking up the stairs.

“Hello Everyone.”  Sae said as she opened the door and stepped through. “I hope you all had a relatively un-stressful week so far. I know you all are anxious about what happened and I have several questions, but first I brought someone who I’m sure you all want to see.”

“Hey everybody.” Akira said as Yusuke heard the sound of his strong, but unassuming footsteps walk through the doorway, prompting feelings of relief and elation to run through his heart as he heard the familiar footsteps.

“Akira!” Yusuke cried as he ran to the door and tightly wrapped his arms around his boyfriend and started crying into his shoulder. “I thought I’d never see you again.” He sobbed in relief as he cupped Akira’s face in his hands and pressed kisses into every inch of his skin that he could feel. “Did they hurt you? Does it hurt anywhere? I was so worried.”  

“Yusuke I’m fine… ow that spot’s bruised.” Akira said as Yusuke felt him wince in pain as he had pressed too hard on a spot on his cheek. “They beat me up in the interrogation room to get answers, but I promise I’m fine.” He whispered as he gently removed Yusuke’s dark glasses and kissed the tears away from his eyes. “I’m so sorry I made you worry.”

Yusuke gently kissed the spot on Akira’s cheek that he had squeezed. “I’m sorry I just put you in more pain right there.” He said. “I knew of the plan but I was still scared it would go wrong.”

“Aww really? That’s so sweet of you, but I’m a little disappointed you didn’t put more faith into your boyfriend, who IS the World-renowned Phantom after all.” Akira teased as he gave Yusuke a gentle peck on the lips before he moved to hold his hand.

“Underneath that all, you’re still my boyfriend; and my amazing, sweet boyfriend at that.” Yusuke said proudly as he kissed Akira’s cheek. “And I’d do anything to make sure you’re happy and safe.”

“Geez, you guys should get a room.” Morgana said snidely. “There are other people here you know.”

“Sorry.” Akira said sheepishly as Yusuke felt him gently set the dark glasses back on his face. “You know how it is; you spend days away from your significant other who you had last seen in a bizarre other world before you risked your life for him and the rest of the team before going MIA and you can totally understand why I’m a little emotional about this.”

There were muttered sounds of agreements and “Welcome back’s” from everyone before they all quieted down when Sae cleared her throat.

“I hate to be the one to interrupt such a heartwarming reunion.” Sae said. “But Sakura-san and I have lots of questions about what happened a couple days ago and we will need to do a debriefing session downstairs as well as a plan on what to do from here on out.”

Yusuke nodded before Akira gently squeezed his hands and guided him down the stairs to the café while everyone else followed them.

He proceeded to sit close to his lover during the entire time the debriefing and planning session was happening while never letting go of his hand. Five days in anxious waiting to know if he was okay was too long of a wait for him. The weeks, if not months from here on out were for sure not going to be the same, and were likely going to be more difficult for everybody, but for now, Yusuke was glad he finally could be with his boyfriend again, and in that moment, and in all future moments, that was for sure going to be the only thing that was going to matter at the end of the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was one of the most difficult, complicated chapters I have ever written for this fic to date. I basically visually spoiled myself on the events of the Casino Dungeon for this (which is huge because I told myself to stay visually unspoiled on major plot points for the game) and then looked through my copy of the artbook for a good visual image of Sae's shadow and then the whole writing process involved listening to a whole lot of electro swing, “Poker Face” by Lady Gaga (Which is really fitting because 1. Casino and, 2. Shadow Sae kinda looks like Lady Gaga lol), and the Fairy Godmother’s cover of “Holding out for a Hero” from the Shrek 2 soundtrack all on repeat to keep me motivated so let it be known that Shrek is the reason why I could publish chapter 12 otherwise I would have procrastinated to hell and back on this chapter and instead played Pokemon Moon and Ace Attorney especially wjile i was hospitalized for stomach pains earlier but the next two chapters should technically be easier for me to write.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NO SPOILERS IN THIS CHAPTER EXCEPT FOR THE FIRST PARAGRAPH THAT YOU CAN SKIP IF YOU WANT TO STAY UNSPOILED ABOUT THE ENDGAME PLOT.  
> Whole lotta warm fuzzy feelings in this, and also, rated M for nudity and… suggestive things. ;)

In the week that followed Akira’s arrest, life had been anything but the same. Since Akira had faked his own death, he had to lie low and go into hiding so as to prevent detection from the wrong people, and as a rest, he had to stop going to school (with Sojiro calling in with an excuse) and start quitting some of his more public jobs, while asking for more hours from the jobs that he didn’t quit. However, the extra hours and the extra stress of having to hide the fact he was still alive came at the cost of a great deal of energy and personal health to Akira.

This came to a head one day when Akira had come home late from work while Yusuke was working on a painting.

“Yusuke! I’m back!” Akira said as Yusuke heard him walk into the room.

“Akira!” Yusuke exclaimed excitedly as he looked up from his seat in front of the easel and in the direction he heard Akira's voice. “Welcome home! How was work?”

“It was… tiring.” Akira admitted as Yusuke heard him shrug off his coat and hang it up. “There were a lot of customers today. Lala-chan is asking me when she can finally meet you.” 

"I was wondering the same thing too, actually." Yusuke said."What did you tell her?"

"Well, I told her that I will—”

Akira stopped midsentence before Yusuke heard him fall to the ground.

“Akira!” He exclaimed in alarm. He ran to Akira’s side and gently knelt down to try and check on him. From inside Akira's bag, Morgana could be heard stuggling to get out. Yusuke unzipped the bag and let the feline out.

“Are you okay?? Akira please speak to me.” Yusuke said as he felt Akira’s chest for a heartbeat and pressed a hand against his forehead. Instantly he felt Akira’s skin practically burning under his touch.

“I’m okay…” Akira said weakly as he coughed. “There’s really no need to worry about me.”

Yusuke shook his head.

“You’re sick.” He said bluntly. “You need to rest.”

Before Akira could argue, Yusuke gently picked him up in his arms and lifted him off the ground.

"Yusuke put me down!" Akira demanded. "You might get hurt."

"No." Yusuke replied as he walked his way over to the bed. "It's a short walk, I can manage." He said. Sure enough, within seconds, he reached the bed and gently set Akira down on it before pulling the covers around him before sitting down next to him on the mattress.

“D-do you need anything?” Yusuke asked as he ran his fingers through Akira’s hair, feeling the silky strands wet with sweat close to his scalp.

He felt Akira shake his head. “I think I’ll be okay.” He said with a hoarse, scratchy voice.

“You don’t sound ‘okay.’” Yusuke said as he got up. “I’m going to go make you some tea.”

Before Akira could object, Yusuke got up and swiftly made his way to the door and went downstairs to the kitchen. He opened the cupboard and felt his way through it, searching around for the boxes that Akira had so considerately labeled “Tea” in raised Tenji lettering. He took the box out and set it on the counter.

Feeling around on the stove, Yusuke reached for the kettle and grabbed it before he went to the sink and filled it with water. Once the kettle was full, Yusuke went to place it back on the stove before turning on the flame.

As he waited for the water to boil, he heard Morgana pad down the stairs before he heard him leap up and land on the counter.

“How is he doing?” Yusuke asked as he took a tea bag out from the box and placed it into a mug.

“He won’t shut up about how he wants you to come back to bed.” Morgana said. “He keeps whining and he kind of sounds like he’s in pain or a lot of discomfort.”

Yusuke sighed in concern.

“You know, Akira’s been working himself a whole lot harder lately.” Morgana pointed out as the kettle started to let out a loud screech as the water reached its boiling point. “I’m surprised that he didn’t fall sick from over-exhaustion sooner.”

“I’m just so scared for him.” Yusuke admitted as he took the kettle off the stove and poured the hot water into the mug. “He’s doing all these things for us, for me especially. I feel guilty.”

“Even though he’s putting in a lot of work to support all three of us, it’s not your fault.” Morgana said as Yusuke got a bowl and filled it with cold water before he looked around for a small washcloth. “He insisted on doing this.”

“That doesn’t make me feel any better.” Yusuke said as he found the cloth.

“Why don’t you take care of him right now while he’s sick?” Morgana suggested. “I’m sure he’d love that.”

“You’re telling me something I already know. “ Yusuke said as he took the mug and the bowl, draping the cloth over his shoulder as he headed upstairs. “Can you do me a favor and keep the door open for me?” He asked.

Morgana hopped off the counter and dashed up the stairs. Yusuke followed as he slowly and carefully made his way up into the room. Once there, he made his way over to the bed, hearing Morgana pad over and hop onto the bed as well.

“Akira, I’m back.” He whispered softly. “Can you please sit up?” He asked.          

“Sure.” Akira said as Yusuke heard the rustling sound of bedsheets being moved and mattress springs creaking as Akira slowly sat up.

Yusuke gently set the bowl down on the ground next to him as he sat down next to Akira on the bed as he handed the mug over to him.

“Be careful.” He advised. “The tea is still hot.”

There was a soft slurping sound as Akira sipped at his tea in silence while Yusuke gently ran his fingers through Akira’s hair, feeling the soft, silky strands run under his fingertips.

As soon as Akira was done, he handed the mug back to Yusuke, who took it and put it on the ground by his feet before he placed his hand on Akira’s shoulder, leaned in and gently pressed a kiss to his lips.

“Yusuke no!” Akira whined as he wriggled away. “Don’t kiss me! You’ll get sick too.”

“Kissing you is completely worth it.” Yusuke replied with a smile as he pressed a kiss to his boyfriend’s forehead. “Now go lie back down.” He said as he reached to take the bowl and washcloth.

Yusuke heard Akira lie back down. He slowly dipped the cloth into the cold water, letting the soothing feeling of cool water on his skin before he took the cloth out and wrung it out, letting the water drip down into the bowl before he gently placed it on Akira’s forehead.

Once the cloth felt warm again, Yusuke took the cloth and placed it back into the water, repeating the process over and over again until the water in the bowl was lukewarm, which he then quickly took downstairs with the empty mug before walking back up and changing into his pajamas and crawling into bed with Akira.

“Thank you for taking care of me.” Akira said as he hugged Yusuke close to him and buried his face in his chest.

“It’s no problem.” Yusuke said as he gently pressed a kiss into Akira’s hair. “I just want to know you’re healthy.” He said. “You’ve been working so hard lately, I’m scared about what it’s doing to your health, and we haven’t had much time for ourselves lately.”

“I’m sorry I’ve been making you worry so much.” Akira said. “I promise I won’t overwork myself too much again. And also at least we have now to spend together.” He said.

“You’re right.” Yusuke said as he nodded.

Akira shifted himself into a more comfortable position before he audibly yawned.

“Mmm. Your voice is nice.” Akira mumbled sleepily.

Yusuke felt his face heat up. “Is it really?” He asked as he gently twirled a lock of Akira’s hair around his finger.

“Mmmhm.” Akira said as he nodded slightly. “It’s deep and soothing and really nice to listen to. Please keep talking. Tell me about your day? How was school? Did you make any progress on your new painting?” Yusuke felt Akira snuggle even closer and felt him press his ear against his chest.

Yusuke gently wrapped his arms around Akira and protectively hugged him close.

“School went as usual.” Yusuke began. “Ryuji, Ann and Yuki got into a heated debate about whether or not pineapple goes on pizza, and Haru surprised Makoto with a bouquet of flowers from the garden.”

Akira chuckled softly. “Let me guess, Ryuji was pro-pineapples on pizza and Ann and Yuki weren’t?”

Yusuke smiled. “Ryuji was so offended, he outright asked Ann and Yuki if a pineapple had murdered both their families given how strongly they both were opposed to pineapple on pizza.” He laughed.

“That’s Ryuji alright.” Akira said. He paused. “So tell me about your latest painting.” He said. “You seem to have been working hard on it. What’s it about?”

Yusuke shook his head. “I want to keep the subject matter a surprise.” He said as he felt his face heat up. “But I hope it turns out well. I really want it to be my best work yet. I’ve been trying all kinds of new brush strokes and paint blends and have been using push pins as well as my usual plasticine technique to make outlines and—”

He stopped as he heard the sound of soft snoring coming from Akira. Yusuke just giggled at the cute noises coming from his exhausted boyfriend before he drew the covers tighter around the both of them.

“Sweet dreams.” He said as he kissed the top of Akira’s head and drifted off to sleep himself.

~~~~~

The next day Yusuke woke up early from the sound of the alarm on his phone. He sleepily reached over and turned off the alarm before it could wake up Akira. Taking his opportunity to sleep in, he figured he could afford to skip a day of school to take care of and spend time with Akira. With his decision made, Yusuke snuggled close to Akira and drifted off to sleep once more.

An hour later, Yusuke found himself awake again. Akira was still sleeping peacefully next to him, but Yusuke however, was starting to feel restless. He gently pressed a kiss to Akira’s forehead before he slowly moved out of bed, moving carefully so as not to wake Akira before he placed his feet on the floor and stood up before he turned to tuck the covers around Akira before moving towards the easel and sitting down in his seat.  Picking up a brush and a tube of paint, he squeezed the paint out with a soft squelching noise before he got to work.

~~~~~

Two hours later, Akira finally stirred. Contrary to what Yusuke thought was going to happen when Akira woke up, Akira was actually not happy that Yusuke stayed home and look after him.

“Yusuke, why did you stay home from school?” Akira groaned as Yusuke heard him sit up.

“I wanted to spend time with you and take care of you.” Yusuke said as he finished off painting the final detail of his painting before he threw the tarp over the canvas to cover it.

“You’re going to miss out on class time.” Akira said. “What about homework? What about that?”

“I’ll just call Ryuji and tell him to bring it with him the next time he comes over.” Yusuke said as he walked over to sit next to Akira.

“This is a bad idea.” Akira said.

“Just this once?” Yusuke pleaded.

Akira paused. Then he spoke. “Fine.” He said. “Just this once.

Sighing, Akira went downstairs to go make breakfast, with Yusuke and Morgana following after him. Akira immediately got to work in the kitchen making breakfast while Yusuke and Morgana made conversation with him.

~~~~~~

The rest of the day passed relatively quickly. As Akira had called in sick to work, the rest of the time was spent cuddling, napping together, or helping Yusuke study his Tenji materials from his last lesson.

At around 6, Akira started to get ready to leave, much to Yusuke’s confusion.

“Where are you going?” He asked as he heard Akira grab his keys. “Shouldn’t you stay here and recover?”

“I would, but I really need to pick up something for Iwai-san.” Akira said as Yusuke heard him zip up his hoodie. “And this is one of those things that I can’t bail on.” He added.

Yusuke pouted. “Please come home immediately after that?” He pleaded. “I don’t want you to aggravate your condition.”

“I will, I promise.” Akira said as he unzipped his bag for Morgana to hop into before zipping it up once the cat was safely inside it. “Please take care while I’m gone. I’ll be back in an hour or so.” Akira said.

Yusuke nodded. “Okay.” He said.

Akira quickly kissed Yusuke before he left the café. Yusuke turned and went to check on the drying status of his painting.

~~~~~

True to Akira’s word, he returned an hour later from his errand.

“I’m back!” Akira said as Yusuke heard the door creak open.

Yusuke excitedly got up and walked over to the door to kiss his boyfriend.

“Not even a ‘Hello?’” Akira teased when Yusuke separated from him.

“I wanted to find out what you could have eaten on the way back.” Yusuke said as he rubbed his nose against Akira’s.  “By the way, welcome back.” He said.

“Thanks.” Akira said as he moved to unzip his jacket and hang it up.

“Did the errand go well?” Yusuke asked.

“Yeah, Iwai-san wanted me to deliver a shipment of weapons to a client.” Akira said as he yawned. “He gave me some ammo for our weapons as payment so it’s all good.”

“That’s good.” Yusuke said as he sat down.

“I’m really tired though, so I’m going to go take a nap.” Akira said as Yusuke heard his footsteps head toward the bed

“Okay. Rest well.” Yusuke said.

The sound of Akira snoring was heard in response to Yusuke’s words. Yusuke quickly walked over and kissed Akira’s forehead before he went to check on his painting again.

~~~~~

As Akira napped, Yusuke walked into the bathroom until he was in front of the bathtub. Kneeling down, he turned on the faucet and adjusted the temperature of the water to his liking before he stripped himself of his clothes and stepped in, letting the tub fill with warm water. Yusuke reached over and grabbed the bottle of bubble bath solution and squeezed it into the water. Yusuke sank into the warm water and frothy bubbles, letting the heat from the water and the calming scent of lavender relax his muscles.

After spending an hour in the tub, Yusuke was starting to feel himself start to doze off from relaxation before he was woken up by the sound of the light switch being turned on and the rustling of fabric followed by the sound and feeling of water sloshing as someone got into the tub and sat in his lap.

Yusuke woke up in confusion at the new person getting into the tub with him before he realized it was Akira.

“Sorry to startle you.” Akira chuckled. “I just kind of wanted to take a bath too.” He explained.

It took Yusuke a moment before he realized three important things: 1. He was naked. 2. So was Akira. 3. Akira was NAKED and SITTING ON HIS LAP. He instantly felt the blush rise to his cheeks, hoping that it wouldn’t seem noticeable what with the warm water’s effects on his body as he started to feel self-conscious about himself and his body, despite the fact that he couldn’t see anything, let alone himself. He hoped his naked body looked okay to Akira, and more importantly, he hoped that he wouldn’t get hard simply because his lover was in his lap. Why was he even this self-conscious about this in the first place? It wasn’t like he could see so it shouldn’t really matter…

As if Akira noticed Yusuke’s slight discomfort, he moved himself off of Yusuke’s lap before he turned around and wrapped his legs around Yusuke’s waist. Once comfortably situated, Akira leaned in close to Yusuke, wrapping his arms around his shoulders before he leaned in to kiss his jaw.

“You smell nice.” He whispered.

Yusuke felt his blush deepen even more. “Do I?” He asked innocently.

“Yeah. I think it’s because of the bubbles from the bath.” Akira said. “They’re all in your hair and all over your chest and shoulders. It’s kind of cute actually.”

Yusuke removed his hands from Akira’s back before he scooped a handful of bubbles and blew them in Akira’s face.

“Hey!” Akira giggled as Yusuke felt him gently swat away some of the bubbles. “What was that for?”

“I can’t be the only one with bubbles in my hair.” Yusuke said as he took another sudsy handful and reached to rub them into Akira’s hair.

“Well the ones on you are drying out.” Akira said as Yusuke felt him rub bubbles all over his chest and shoulders.

Giggling as he felt the ticklish sensation on his skin, Yusuke gently splashed Akira with water in an attempt to stop him. This only prompted Akira to splash back in retaliation. Yusuke felt Akira reach under the water and tickle his stomach, causing Yusuke’s giggles to grow into full-blown laughter. Breathless from his laughter, Yusuke pulled Akira in for a kiss, tangling his fingers into Akira’s wet strands as he did so. Akira kissed back hungrily, wrapping his arms around Yusuke’s waist as he did and leaning into Yusuke. The added weight against his body caused Yusuke to lose traction in the tub and slip further under the water with a soft splash. Resurfacing, Yusuke laughed as he kissed Akira again, slipping one of his hands further down his back as he did so while Akira let out lots of little breathless noises as he licked Yusuke’s bottom lip, practically begging for him to be let in. Yusuke let him in almost immediately as Akira teasingly flicked his tongue against Yusuke’s as Yusuke felt Akira move his hand down to rest on his ass.

Akira broke away from the kiss before he pressed kisses all along Yusuke’s jawline and down the side of his neck, prompting Yusuke’s breath to hitch as his sensitive skin was being gently stimulated. Yusuke tightened his grip in Akira’s hair as he moved his other hand to rest on his chest, brushing over his nipple as he did, which prompted a soft moan from Akira. Yusuke leaned in to hold Akira tighter to him before he felt something poking him from the front. He stopped.

“Wait… are you…??” Yusuke trailed off as he realized what was happening.

“Y-YES!” Akira almost squeaked as Yusuke felt him bury his face in his hands. “I’m so sorry!”

“Why do you apologize?” Yusuke asked as he tilted his head to the side inquisitively and gently tightened his hold around Akira's waist.

"You're just so cute... I couldn't help myself." Akira said as Yusuke felt him bury his face in the crook of his neck.

Yusuke blushed at Akira’s comment. “A-Akira….” He stuttered as he turned to face away in embarrassment especially when he realized he was getting hard too.

There was an awkward pause. Then Yusuke spoke.

“I could…. Maybe help you with that…” He mumbled sheepishly.

Akira’s body tensed in Yusuke’s arms for a moment. “Would you really?”

Yusuke nodded as he leaned in to kiss Akira, dipping his hand under the water to reach for Akira’s member, gently and slowly wrapping his fingers around it.

“Does this feel good?” Yusuke asked Akira.

“Y-yes.” Akira stuttered as his breath hitched at the touch.

“Okay.” Yusuke said as he slowly started moving his hand up and down along Akira’s length, causing Akira to let out soft sighs and moans in response to the stimulation. Akira’s moans got louder when Yusuke gently touched the tip of Akira’s member with his thumb. Yusuke pressed a kiss to Akira’s lips as he kept moving his hand, moving it slightly faster to see how he’d respond. Akira’s breathing just got more ragged as his moans got louder while the water splashed around them.

“Keep going like that…” Akira begged as he broke away from the kiss. “I’m so close… I think I’m going to—”

His sentence was cut off as he came with a loud cry as Yusuke felt Akira’s cock twitch in his hand before his breathing slowly went back to normal.

Akira wrapped his arms around Yusuke’s shoulders. “That felt amazing.” He said as he gently kissed him.

Yusuke blushed sheepishly. “I-I’m glad.” He stuttered. “I’ve never had any experience… doing this kind of thing.”

“Me neither.” Akira admitted as he pressed a kiss to Yusuke’s cheek. “If you want, I can return the favor.” He suggested as he sat up.

Yusuke nodded, blushing as he moved to stand up to stretch his legs out, Akira graciously moving himself off of his lap to allow him to move.

Yusuke heard the squeak of wet skin on a slick porcelain surface as Akira gripped the side of the tub as he too stood up. Yusuke heard Akira step closer to him before he snaked an arm around his waist and pressed a kiss to his lips as he guided him to lean against the shower walls. Yusuke felt Akira gently wrap his free hand around his member, causing him to bite back a moan in response to the sudden pressure on his sensitive length.

“A-Akira…” Yusuke breathed, feeling the heat rise to his face tenfold. “N-not with y-your hands. With your mouth.”

Akira pressed his forehead against Yusuke’s before he nodded in understanding and crouched down in front of him. Yusuke then felt Akira’s other hand clumsily grip at his hip before he felt Akira touch his tongue to the tip of his member. The sudden foreign sensation caused his breath to hitch as Akira swirled his tongue on the tip once, twice, three more times, causing Yusuke to bite back a moan and reach his hands down to tightly grip Akira’s hair. Yusuke then felt Akira drag his tongue along the veins of his length, varying the pressure against his skin all along the veins until Yusuke let out a loud moan.

Yusuke then felt Akira slide his hand closer to the base of his member before he felt a warm wetness engulf his length as Akira moved his member into his mouth.

“A-Akira…” Yusuke moaned as he shut his eyes closed.

Yusuke felt Akira start to bob his head, stroking and twisting the base of the shaft as he did so, occasionally changing up the pace every so often to lick the tip once more, keeping at the steady rhythm as Yusuke moaned, gasped, and whined in response to Akira pleasuring him.

“Akira… Akira I th-think I’m going to come.” Yusuke whimpered as he felt his orgasm close.

Akira didn’t respond but he quickened the pace and heightened the intensity of his movements, which finally sent Yusuke over the edge.

Yusuke threw his head back as he came with a loud moan and spilled himself into Akira’s mouth, gasping as he did so afterwards.

Akira stood up as he gently kissed Yusuke, letting Yusuke taste himself in the bitter fluid on his boyfriend’s tongue. Yusuke froze however, when Akira’s roaming hands moved to rest on his ass.

“Should we go further?” Akira asked, noticing the tenseness in Yusuke’s body and removing his hand off of Yusuke’s ass.

Yusuke shook his head. “I don’t feel ready.” He admitted.

Akira gently kissed Yusuke’s cheek. “Okay.” He said understandingly as he untangled his body from Yusuke’s. “I’m more than ready, but I won’t force you. I’ll wait for you if and when you want to, okay?” He said as Yusuke felt him lean in to press another kiss to his forehead.

Yusuke nodded, feeling grateful that Akira was respecting his boundaries. “Okay.” He said. “Thank you so much, Akira.”

“The water is getting cold. We should get cleaned up.” Akira said, as he unplugged the drain and turned the water back on, letting the faucet until he turned the setting to shower, letting the faucet run before the spray of the warm water hit the both of them.

Yusuke heard Akira grab the shampoo bottle before he squeezed out some of its contents and reached to put it into Yusuke’s hair, using both hands to massage the foam into his scalp as Yusuke tried not to melt at the intimate gesture. Akira then removed his hands from Yusuke’s hair to squeeze the shampoo out and lather his own hair before he stepped back into the water, taking Yusuke’s hands and pulling him under it as well. Yusuke closed his eyes as he felt the water cascade down his body, washing away the suds from his hair. They did the same with the conditioner and the soap until the water ran cold and Akira turned off the faucet.

Stepping out, Akira handed a towel to Yusuke, who graciously took it and toweled himself off before he stepped out of the tub, picking his clothes off the floor before he started following the sound of Akira’s footsteps as he walked back into their room. Yusuke went to take his pajamas and put them on before he joined Akira, who was now lying down on the bed, if the sound of bedsprings gently creaking was to be believed.

As soon as he sat down, Yusuke realized he was forgetting something and stood back up.

“What’s going on?” Akira asked inquisitively.

“There was something I wanted to show you.” Yusuke said, half-eagerly, and half-nervously.

“What is it?” Akira asked as he yawned.

“I-it was the painting I’ve been working on, actually…” Yusuke said. “I want to show it to you.”

“Of course!” Akira said as Yusuke heard the bedsprings creak as he sat back up and gently set his feet down on the ground.

Yusuke walked over to the canvas he had set up in the corner of the room as he heard Akira’s footsteps following after him. Yusuke reached to pull off the tarp. Akira gasped in response as the tarp fell to the ground to reveal the painting.

“D-Do you like it?” Yusuke asked nervously. “I tried painting a portrait of you but I wasn’t sure if it would turn out well or not.”

“This is beautiful…” Akira breathed as Yusuke felt him take his hand.

“Really? You’re not just saying that so you won’t hurt my feelings, right? If you are just tell me what you honestly think.” Yusuke said.  

“No the painting is honestly really gorgeous.” Akira said, as he reassuringly squeezed Yusuke’s hands. “You used all these defined outlines and bold colors and textured brush strokes to create my likeness and it’s beautiful. Just… wow.” Akira said. “Thank you.” He said as he embraced Yusuke and kissed his cheek. “I love it.”

“I’m glad.” Yusuke said as he rubbed his nose against Akira’s. “I don’t know what I would have done if you didn’t like it. I just wanted to paint my feelings for you so I’m glad it turned out well.”

“You’re too good to me.” Akira said as he gave Yusuke a gentle kiss. “I love you so much.” He said happily.

Yusuke felt his face flush red with flustered sheepishness as he felt an immense, overjoyed fluttering feeling in his heart.

“I love you too.” He said as he cupped Akira’s face in his hands and pressed kisses into his skin.

Maybe things were stressful, and maybe it did cause the need for a break, but to Yusuke and Akira in that moment, they were glad that they had each other and their love to keep themselves going.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was half-considering not writing the bath scene until my friend Mizu all but predicted my intentions to initially write one (although the NSFW bit was my idea). Honestly I’m amazed at how much my readers seem to have been predicting some of the things in my fic, first Yusuke’s Palace Vision and now the bath. You guys are amazing. Your predictions and Ideas really keep me going. 
> 
> I would have published this earlier, but I went to Chinese New Year Dinner with the fam so there was a delay. Anyway, the next chapter sure will be something, so until next time everyone~!


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning for some homophobic and ableist language.  
> But also a warning for the heart for an immense amount of hurt/comfort-flavored fluff

Although things were most certainly improving for Yusuke (even in spite of the Palace drama), he still had times where things weren’t so good. Case in point, his nightmares were still vivid as ever, to a point of great distress for Yusuke, as was evidenced one night a couple weeks after the casino dungeon.

~~~~~

_The chemical smell of acrylic paint permeated the air as Yusuke sat in front of his easel, gently feeling his way in his sightless darkness around the plasticine outlines he had made, gently feeling the curves and swirls of the raised outlines and of the sticky paint that was drying inside the lines that touched the plasticine outline of a tree. He dipped his paintbrush into some paint on the palette before letting it touch the canvas again._

_Suddenly, Yusuke felt a hand on his shoulder, and suddenly, his whole world flooded with color, light, shadows, and outlines as he could see in vivid detail once more._

_He looked up at who had placed his hand on his shoulder, only to find Madarame looking back at him._

_“Your technique has gotten worse since you defied me.” Madarame said with disdain at the painting. “Your use of color is atrocious, your materials are quite pedestrian, and your use of light and shadow makes me wish I could gouge my own eyes out.”_

_“S-Sensei!” Yusuke said in alarm as he felt his eyes widen before he turned to face the painting, which as he looked at it, turned out to be nothing but an incoherent mess of poorly-mixed browns, yellows, and greens with outlines that didn’t look the slightest like that of a tree._

_“Admit it.” Madarame said. “You were nothing without me, and ever since you lost your eyesight, any of your attempts to try to make art have been nothing but self-delusional garbage.”_

_“Sensei, stop it!” Yusuke pleaded as he pressed his hands over his ears. “That’s not true!”_

_“Anybody who tells you your art is good is honestly just lying to you so that they won’t hurt your feelings.” Madarame said. “Although, how you have friends is beyond me. All you ever do is drag people down, especially now that you’re blind. If anything, they only stick around because they pity you because you are nothing but a strange, socially-inept blind man who can’t do anything for himself.”_

_“SENSEI STOP!!!” Yusuke yelled as Madarame’s face distorted into something much like that of Edvard Munch’s "_ _The Scream” before Madarame morphed into Akira, who was now standing by the door to the cafe with a ton of suitcases packed._

_"Akira?" Yusuke asked in confusion. "W-where are you going?"_

_"I can't do this anymore." Akira said as he shook his head. "You're too difficult to love, so I'm leaving you."_

_"Wait Akira!" Yusuke shouted as he ran and kelt down in front of him. "PLEASE DON'T GO! I love you so much, Akira. Please, I'll do anything to keep you happy."_

_Akira cracked a sad smile and shook his head._

_"It's too late."  He said gently. " Goodbye, Yusuke." He said as he turned around and started walking out the door before his image swirled and distorted._

~~~~~

Yusuke woke up with a loud gasp as he clutched at the bedsheets. He sat upright, only to jump and yelp in surprise as the alarm next to the bed went off.

Reaching for the clock, Yusuke found the “off” switch just as he heard Akira stir next to him and sit up.

“Hey, is everything okay?” Akira asked gently, the alarm evident in his voice. “I heard you gasping for air and you seem really on edge.”

“I just… had a bad dream.” Yusuke admitted.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Akira asked as Yusuke felt him reach his hand to gently cup his cheek.

Yusuke shook his head, feeling nauseous at so much as the thought of the dream. “I don’t feel comfortable thinking about it.” He said.

“Okay.” Akira said as Yusuke felt him lean in to press a kiss to his forehead. “I’m not going to force you, but if or when you’re ready, I’ll be willing to listen.”

“Okay.” Yusuke said as he nodded. “Thank you so much, Akira.”

“We should get ready.” Akira said as Yusuke heard him move off the bed and set his feet down on the ground. Yusuke nodded and followed suit.

~~~~~

Yusuke’s day only got worse once the teacher dismissed the class for lunch break.

As he got up from his desk to head out the door, he felt someone roughly shove into him.

“Move it, weirdo.” He heard a girl’s voice gruffly say.

“Excuse me, what did you just call me?” Yusuke asked in shock.

“You heard me, dumbass. Move it!” The girl, who, judging from her familiar voice, sounded like a classmate named Seiko Kawano, if he remembered correctly.

“No, now that you were so rude to me, now I won’t!” Yusuke said. “Why do you feel the need to call me such rude names?”

“Well, why the fuck are you so weird?” Seiko retorted. “You’re always touching things and people’s faces and saying it’s for some bullshit reason like ‘art’ even though we all know that’s a lousy excuse since you’re blind as a bat!” She spat. “And honestly, I don’t even know what you did to him so that he’s not going to school anymore, but why Akira is even dating you is a mystery because he deserves so much better than a stupid, useless, blind faggot!”

“That is absolutely none of your business!” Yusuke responded angrily.

“Oh yes it is!” Seiko said. “Honestly, what’s the point in having a hot boyfriend if you can’t even see him? You’re not appreciating him to his fullest because his looks are wasted on you! Honestly one day he’ll get bored of you and leave you for someone better who would truly appreciate him.”

“Just… shut up!” Yusuke yelled in distress. He got caught off-guard as he suddenly felt a sharp sting on his face as he felt the back of Seiko's hand harshly slap his face.

In shock, Yusuke felt himself stumble back as he pressed a hand to the spot where the impact hit.

"HEY! DON'T DO THAT TO HIM!" He heard Ryuji angrily yell before the sound of his running footsteps from the classroom’s doorway was heard.

"STAY THE FUCK OUT OF THIS, SAKAMOTO!!!" Seiko screamed as Yusuke heard the sound of her fist (or was it her foot? Yusuke couldn't tell), colliding with Ryuji's stomach, prompting a loud "oomph" sound from him as the wind got knocked out of him.

"Everybody, break it up!" Yusuke heard the teacher say before he felt someone gently push him away from Seiko.

"Kawano-san, to the principal's office, NOW." Yusuke then heard the teacher say. "Kitagawa-san, Sakamoto-san, if you need to, you may visit the Nurse's office."

Yusuke nodded and turned away.

"You alright there, bud?" Ryuji asked as Yusuke heard Seiko's footsteps get fainter. "Should I go call Akira?"

Yusuke shook his head, still keeping his hand on his cheek as he rubbed the spot. "No." He said. "I don't want him to worry about me. What about you? You sound like she hit you fairly hard.”

Yusuke heard Ryuji grunt in a dissatisfied manner but he also felt a gentle pat on his back. "Don’t worry about me.” He said. “I’ve dealt with worse, but WOW, she's a total Bitch." He said, trying to be of some comfort to Yusuke. "Don't listen to her; Akira is crazy about you, man. I can see it just in the way he talks about you or takes care of you.”

“Can we just… stop talking?” Yusuke said uncomfortably.

“Sure.” Ryuji replied. "We should go meet up with the others to go have lunch with them."

Yusuke nodded. “Alright.” He said as he started heading to the door, trying to push the events of what just happened out of his mind as he did.

~~~~~

As usual, Akira was there to greet Yusuke at the train station after school, and Yusuke felt so relieved to be able to be with his boyfriend again, especially after the kind of day he had. That was, at least until he started speaking.

"Hey Yusuke!" Akira said cheerfully as he gently took Yusuke's hand and leaned to give him a peck. “Welcome back!”

Suddenly feeling incredibly discomforted by the memory of Seiko's words, especially about how Akira was going to leave him one day, Yusuke froze up briefly, stiffly squeezing Akira’s hands as he did.

"Yusuke are you okay?" Akira asked. "Is something wrong?"

"I'm FINE." He said, almost snapping at his boyfriend under the sheer amount of stress he could feel his heart start to be under. "I just wish we'd go home already."

Yusuke felt awful as he realized he could have just started to push Akira away with his curt attitude.

“I’m sorry.” Yusuke said quietly. “I shouldn’t have lashed out like that.”

“Let’s just get home. I feel like we’re both stressed.” Akira said as he gently guided Yusuke back on their usual route home.

As soon as Akira and Yusuke both stepped into their room, Akira almost immediately turned and left.

“Where are you going?” Yusuke asked. “We just got back.”

“I need to go out again.” Akira said as Yusuke heard him tap away at his phone’s touchscreen.

“I thought you don’t work until six tonight.” Yusuke said.

“I know, but I need to go see someone.” Akira responded.

“Oh...” Yusuke said as the memory of Seiko telling him that Akira would one day leave him for someone else suddenly popped back into his head.

“What’s wrong?” Akira asked, noticing the change in tone of Yusuke’s voice.

"You changed your mind about me, didn't you?" Yusuke said, sinking to the ground as he started to feel himself breaking into a sob. "You found someone better and now you're leaving me."

"What? Yusuke no." Akira said worriedly as Yusuke heard him kneel down in front of him and take his hands and hold them. "Yusuke, where is this all coming from? Has this got something to do with the dream from last night? Is this why you've been acting all nervous today?"

Yusuke took a deep breath. He had landed himself in this and realized he couldn't back out, let alone lie to Akira.

"Madarame-sensei was in my dream last night and he told me all these things about how useless and stupid I was and how I wasn’t a good artist, but then you showed up and told me you were leaving me because you thought I was too much for you and at first I tried to ignore it because I thought I was secure in knowing that you'll never leave me since you've always been there for me but people keep telling me how you're too good for me and that I don't deserve you and I'm worried your feelings for me might change one day because everything good that happens to me that always gets taken away or leaves and I don't want you to go too." Yusuke rushed out, the words spilling out of his mouth faster than he can control them. He felt his chest tighten and felt the lump form in his throat.

"Yusuke…" Akira began. He was cut off as Yusuke continued talking, his nervousness getting the most of him.

"There's so many things I and others don't like about me, I'm worried that one day you'll see all the things that's not good about me too and decide you don't want me anymore."

Thinking about it all again was too much for Yusuke. He could practically feel his heart shatter into pieces at the very thought of Akira leaving him. The aching pain he felt in his heart was excruciating. He burst into a fresh round of tears. "They're right." He sobbed covering his face with his hands in shame. "You really do deserve better than someone so worthless and useless and stupid and disgusting as me. You deserve someone who is cute, kind, funny and would actually be able to appreciate your beauty."

"Someone who is cute, kind, funny and would appreciate me?" Akira asked, making sense of what Yusuke said. "But... Isn't that you?"

Yusuke shook his head. "No, I'm not anywhere near close to any of those things. I'm awful but you, you're just not and I don't deserve you." He sobbed, feeling the hot, fat tears roll down his cheeks.

Yusuke felt Akira's arms wrap around him in a secure embrace. "Yusuke no." He heard his lover whisper. "Please don't cry. It absolutely breaks my heart every time I see you in tears. That dream isn't real. Those people are wrong. And you're wrong too."

Yusuke moved his hands out of his face to remove his dark glasses and try to wipe his tears, before he placed them back on his face. "What do you mean? You're so amazing! You don't need a wreck like me."

"No. Whoever told you that doesn't know what they're talking about." Akira said gently as Yusuke felt him remove his dark glasses and set them aside on the table before he felt Akira's hands gently cup his face. "They don't know that I think I'm plain, Or that I have a tendency to constantly worry about everything going wrong, or that I'm a compulsive neat freak. That sassy, confident, cocky personality I show to everyone? I'm practically faking it until I make it. I'm pretty sure if more people knew about all of that, I'm sure fewer people would be interested in me at all. In fact sometimes I worry that if you could still see me, you wouldn't think I would be beautiful enough to want to date."

Yusuke sniffled as Akira wrapped his arms around his waist and tightened his embrace.

"And I'm so sad people treat you this poorly that you think so low of yourself," Akira said. "But that's on them because they're missing out on someone who's sweet, and kind, and brave and strong and not to mention really handsome, and AMAZINGLY talented at art." He said as he rubbed his nose against Yusuke's. "You can be really silly sometimes but you make me laugh and keep me smiling all the time. And even all your quirks just still make you really amazing in my eyes." Akira continued before he gently kissed the tears away from Yusuke's eyes. "You're absolutely perfect to me. I wouldn't change a thing." He said reassuringly, rubbing comforting circles into Yusuke's back.

Yusuke shifted himself so that he was leaning against Akira. "Do you really mean it?" He asked.

"Of course I do." Akira said as he hugged Yusuke's head close to his chest. "I couldn't ever lie to you. I know we all have things about ourselves that we don't like," Akira said as he gently stroked his hair. "But I really wish you loved yourself as much as I love you."

"Akira..." Yusuke began, feeling his eyes well up with tears again, this time of a happy nature.

"And I promise that I'll keep loving you for as long as you want me to. You're so precious to me, I just want to make sure you're always safe and happy." Akira said as he gently pressed a kiss to Yusuke's forehead. Yusuke felt his heart swell with a warm sense of happiness. "I want to be able to always make you feel as happy as you make me feel when I'm with you. I just love you so much. I don't care if its too early in our relationship for me to say that, it's what I've felt about you for a long time."

"I love you too." Yusuke said in reply. “But you probably already knew that.”

“It still feels really amazing to hear you say that.” Akira said. “Just… Wow, how did I get so lucky to fall in love with someone like you?”

Yusuke made a soft whining noise as he turned his blushing face away from Akira. “S-stop it.” He said as he could practically feel his heart beat out of his chest. “I’m not perfect, I’m dumb, I say dumb and weird things that cause everyone to look at me funny and I always forget to eat when I’m working on a painting.”

“Hey, come on.” Akira said as Yusuke felt him reach to tuck a lock of hair behind his ear. “Nobody is Perfect-perfect, but you’re perfect to me, even when some of the things you do or say can annoy me sometimes. You’re not dumb though. Naïve, blunt, and a little dense? Yeah maybe, but given the way Madarame raised you, that doesn't surprise me. And even so, I think those qualities can also really endear you to me." He said as he pressed a kiss to Yusuke’s cheek. “But we all have things about ourselves that we need to work on, so don’t beat yourself up over it, alright?”

“Alright.” Yusuke said as he nodded. He giggled a little before he spoke once more.

"You were wrong when you said that you’re plain.” He pointed out. “Even when I can't see you, you're still so beautiful to me. You always smell nice and your skin is soft, and so is your hair and I always feel so calm when I hear your voice and when I'm with you. You treat me with so much kindness, I know you have a beautiful heart." He said, blushing as he did so. "I think you're one of the most beautiful people I've ever met.”

“You’re too good to me.” Akira said. “So don’t ever think you’re a bad boyfriend, okay?”

“Okay.” Yusuke said as he smiled slightly.

“Let’s work on helping you bring your confidence in yourself up, alright? I feel like what just happened really did a number on it.”

“Alright.” Yusuke agreed.

"But Yusuke can I ask something?" Akira asked as Yusuke felt him place his hands on his shoulders.

"Of course." Yusuke said.

"Who's been telling you all of this? I know it's none of the others because they keep telling me how happy they are to see us together." Akira said.

Yusuke paused. “It was a girl from school.” He admitted. “Seiko Kawano. She’s in my class. Earlier, she verbally and physically accosted me and even attacked Ryuji when he tried to step in to defend me.”

“How DARE she.” Yusuke heard Akira hiss through gritted teeth. “She had no right to do that.”

“Why would she do that though?” Yusuke asked.

“I guess it’s because she probably is jealous of you that you’re dating me, from the sound of it.” Akira replied. “Not like that makes it any better, but don’t worry, I’ll never leave you for the likes of her.”

“I’m glad.” Yusuke said as he nuzzled his face into Akira's shoulder. He paused.

"So out of curiosity, who was it that you were texting?” Yusuke asked.

"Oh, that was Tae-san." Akira responded. "She was going to give me some medicines for us to use in the Palace since I figured we're going to need to stock up before that big fight with Shido."

"Oh..." Yusuke said in realization. "I'm sorry." He whispered softly.

"For what?" Akira asked curiously.

"I just..." Yusuke began. "I feel bad that I had a meltdown because now you probably missed your appointment since you spent that time comforting me." He admitted.

"Hey, no." Akira said as Yusuke felt him pull away. "Don't apologize for this, okay? You were clearly upset from holding a lot of things in. If anything, we needed to have this talk. I can always swing by the clinic on my way home from work, so please don't apologize, okay?"

Yusuke nodded. "Okay." He said as he tangled his fingers through Akira's hair and rested his forehead against Akira's. "Thank you so much."

"Are you feeling better?" Akira asked.

Yusuke nodded. "All thanks to you."

"Good. I'm glad." Akira said as Yusuke felt him rub his nose against his own. The gesture of affection prompted a giggle that only was furthered into a laugh when Akira kissed his nose and started peppering his face with kisses.

"There's my cutie!" Akira cooed affectionately, the smile so evident in his voice that Yusuke could feel his heart melt.

"Akira you know how I feel when you give me such embarrassing nicknames." Yusuke said, smiling as he tried to fight the blush that rose to his cheeks. His heart was still not used to having this much attention all at once.

"I will still keep doing it because your reactions are always so adorable." Akira said as he gave him a brief peck. "It's just one more thing that I love about you."

"I love you too." Yusuke said.

"When I come home from work tonight, let's have a nice quiet night in." Akira suggested. "I feel like we both need it."

Yusuke nodded. "I can't wait." He said excitedly.

~~~~~

The next day rolled around quickly, and soon, Yusuke found himself being walked hand-in-hand to the train station with Akira like he normally was.

“I really don’t want to go.” Yusuke said, pouting as he did so. “I wish I could stay with you, or you could come with me.”

“I know.” Akira replied as he squeezed Yusuke's hand. “But you know why I can’t come with you.” He said. “Just please promise to stand your ground if she starts attacking you.”

Yusuke sighed. “I promise.” He said.

“Hey,” Akira began. “Guess who’s cute?”

Yusuke thought. “Is it me?” He asked.

“Mmmhm.” Akira responded as he squeezed Yusuke's hand. “And guess who’s smart?”

“Is it also me?” Yusuke asked again.

“Of course!” Akira replied. “And guess who is kind?”

“I am!” Yusuke almost giggled as he got the pattern.

“And guess who loves you.” Akira said as he stepped closer.

“You do?” Yusuke asked, tentative in case Akira pulled a fast one.

“I Do!” Akira cooed as he rubbed his nose against Yusuke’s. “I love you so much!”

“Ugh, you sickening sweethearts!” Morgana grumbled disgruntledly as Yusuke heard the zipper of Akira's bag unzip from the sound of the cat poking his head out from the bag. “Just get to your train already!”

“I gotta go.” Akira said, gently kissing Yusuke before pulling away. “I’ll be running errands in the area later, so call me in case you need me.”

“Okay.” Yusuke said as he headed towards the train platform. “Bye Akira!”

“Bye Yusuke, I love you!” Akira said. And with that, Yusuke turned toward the gate.

~~~~~

Surprisingly, to Yusuke, school was uneventful. In fact, it was almost too peaceful; Seiko didn’t offer so much as a word to him. Although he appreciated the fact that he could spend the day without being harassed, he couldn’t help but feel like it the calm before the storm, and that sooner or later, Seiko would come back to attack him.

Sure enough, as soon as school let out and he had finished his Tenji lessons for the day, Seiko caught him as he was walked outside the school’s gate after he had finished calling Akira to tell him about his day.

"So," Seiko snarled as she stepped up close and grabbed his wrist in a vice grip. "Do you still decide to stay with him?"

"Your words don't hurt me." Yusuke said as he wrenched his hand out of her hold. "I love Akira and he loves me and we are NOT going to break up for anyone."

"God you're a pathetic, deluded moron for thinking such things." She sneered.

"No, you’re the pathetic moron." Yusuke said. “You literally have nothing better to do than to attack a blind person all because of your own jealousies and insecurities!”

 “Say that all you want, you’re still a pathetic moron and a useless fag.” She hissed as Yusuke felt her painfully twist her grip around his wrist until he started to wince in pain.

"No, if anyone is the 'pathetic moron', it's you." Yusuke suddenly heard Akira's voice say as he heard his footsteps walk back up from behind him.

"Oh, h-hi Akira." Seiko stuttered as Yusuke could hear the panic set into her voice. "I h-havent seen you in a while.” She said as Yusuke felt her step away. “This isn't what it looks like, you've got it all wrong." She said as she quickly let go of Yusuke.

"No, I think I got a perfectly good idea of what's happening." Akira said as he gently took Yusuke’s hand into his own and squeezed it. "You're jealous of my boyfriend. Am I correct?"

"N-no." She stammered as she tried to find a way to talk herself out of this situation. "It's just... I just thought... ummm..."

"And so you thought verbally abusing him and attacking both him AND my best friend could get me to love you?" Akira said angrily, cutting her off. "Grow up. Just grow up!"

“Why the hell are you coming after me like this!” She shouted, her voice breaking. “I’m doing what’s best for the both of you!”

“No you’re not!” Yusuke said. “We were perfectly fine until you came around!”

“No you weren’t!” Seiko insisted. “Why the fuck are you even dating??? Kitagawa is useless! Why can’t you go for someone pretty and who’s the head of the drama club, like me for instance? At least I do something useful!” She shouted, her voice breaking with the tone of anguish. “Why won’t anybody love me???”

“Well, maybe if you had actually TALKED to me when I still went here, I might have possibly given you a chance.” Akira pointed out as he squeezed Yusuke’s hand tighter. “But because you’re so damn selfish, homophobic, ableist, and outright MEAN, you’ve effectively denied yourself any chance you had left of EVER dating me.” He said. “It’s really no wonder nobody else seems to want to date you, given everything else you’ve said and done.”

“You’re so cruel!” Seiko shouted.

“No, You’re the cruel one. You did this to yourself.” Akira said. Yusuke felt him step closer to Seiko. “I don’t ever want you to come near me, Yusuke, or any of my friends again. And if I EVER hear that you hurt anybody, you will have HELL to pay, you got that?”

There was a pause before Yusuke heard a loud sob from Seiko before he heard her footsteps run back into the school.

As soon as her sobs and footsteps were no longer heard, Yusuke felt Akira turn back and step close to him.

“Are you alright?” He asked as he felt Akira’s hand cup his cheek.

“Physically, I am.” Yusuke reassured. “Emotionally, well, I think I need some time to recover from this. I feel more than a little unnerved.”

“I’m so sorry she did this to you again.” Akira said as he kissed Yusuke’s nose. “I’m also sorry  I didn’t get here faster. I was going to wait outside the school gates so I could surprise you and take you home, but I’m glad that I made that decision.”

“I’m just glad you’re here.” Yusuke said.

“I’m glad you’re safe.” Akira said as Yusuke felt him rub his nose against his own before he gently kissed him. “Let’s go home.” He said as he took Yusuke’s hand.

As the two walked hand-in-hand off the school grounds, Yusuke couldn’t feel happier and more relieved that he was dating such an amazing and supportive boyfriend like Akira. He leaned in to press a kiss to Akira’s cheek before he asked him about his day, happy to finally be in his presence once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Loving reassurance followed by affection is literally one of the best things when you're feeling insecure enough about yourself that you doubt your relationship. 
> 
> Also, along with the love confession from chapter 8, a lot of scenes in this chapter were also some more of the first things I ever wrote for this AU but i wanted to take my time to clean it up so that it was the best it could be since a lot of it hits pretty close to home so I'd love to hear your thoughts if you have any!
> 
> UPDATE: I'm putting this fic on hiatus for the time being due to the fact that this is headed into spoiler territory and I want to stay visually unspoiled about the specific details of endgame spoilers. I promise I will pick up this fic once I finish playing the game but in the meantime, to keep my writing skills sharp, I'll be working on Painted and an Upcoming AU Duology. 
> 
> Until next time everyone!


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